Osceola Peak facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Osceola Peak |
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 Osceola Peak
Location in Washington (state)
Osceola Peak
Location in the United States
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 8,587 ft (2,617 m) |
| Prominence | 1,147 ft (350 m) |
| Listing | List of Highest Mountain Peaks in Washington 35th |
| Geography | |
| Location |
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| Parent range | Okanagan Range North Cascades Cascade Range |
| Topo map | USGS Mount Lago |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | 1933 by Hermann Ulrichs and Richard Alt |
| Easiest route | class 2 Scrambling south slope |
Osceola Peak is a tall mountain in Washington state. It stands about 8,587-foot (2,617-metre) high. The mountain got its official name in 1972. It's one of the highest peaks in the Okanagan Range, which is part of the larger North Cascades mountains.
This peak is located in western Okanogan County. It is inside the Pasayten Wilderness, which is managed by the Okanogan National Forest. Osceola Peak is close to Mount Carru, which is about 1 mile (1.6 km) to its east.
The mountain has a very steep north side. However, its south side is covered in loose rocks called scree. This makes it possible to climb the south slope without needing special climbing gear. Water from Osceola Peak flows into different rivers. Some water goes north to the Similkameen River, while other water flows south into Eureka Creek, which is part of the Methow River system.
Weather Patterns Around Osceola Peak
Most weather systems start over the Pacific Ocean. They then move northeast towards the Cascade Mountains. When these weather systems reach the North Cascades, the tall peaks force the air upwards.
This upward movement causes the air to cool down. As it cools, it drops its moisture as rain or snow onto the Cascades. This process is called Orographic lift. Because of this, the western side of the North Cascades gets a lot of rain and snow, especially in winter.
During winter, the weather is often cloudy. But in summer, high-pressure systems over the Pacific Ocean become stronger. This often means there are clear skies and little to no clouds during the summer months.
How Osceola Peak Was Formed
The North Cascades mountains have a very rugged landscape. You can see jagged peaks, sharp spires, long ridges, and deep valleys carved by glaciers. These different shapes and big changes in height were created by geological events over millions of years. These events also led to the different climates you find across the Cascade Range.
The Cascade Mountains started forming millions of years ago, during a time called the late Eocene Epoch. At that time, the North American Plate was slowly moving over the Pacific Plate. This movement caused many volcanic eruptions and created igneous rocks.
Also, small pieces of the Earth's crust, called terranes, came together. These pieces of oceanic and continental rock helped form the North Cascades about 50 million years ago.
Later, during the Pleistocene period (which began over two million years ago), glaciers played a huge role. These massive ice sheets moved forward and backward many times. As they moved, they scraped and shaped the land, leaving behind piles of rock. The river valleys in the area are shaped like a "U" because of these glaciers.
The main forces that created the tall peaks and deep valleys of the North Cascades are uplift (when the Earth's crust pushes upwards) and faulting (when cracks form in the Earth's crust and sections move). These processes, combined with the action of glaciers, made the landscape we see today.
