Red Mountain (Skagit County, Washington) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Red Mountain |
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Red Mountain seen from Diablo Lake
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 7,658 ft (2,334 m) |
| Prominence | 618 ft (188 m) |
| Geography | |
 Red Mountain
Location in Washington (state)
Red Mountain
Location in the United States
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| Topo map | USGS Mount Logan |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | Scrambling |
Red Mountain is a tall mountain, 7,658 feet high, found in the North Cascades mountains in Washington State, United States. It's in Skagit County and is part of the beautiful North Cascades National Park and the Stephen Mather Wilderness. This mountain gets its name because it sits on a ridge that looks like brick-red color.
Even though it's not the highest mountain around, Red Mountain stands out because it rises very steeply from the land around it. The closest taller mountain is Cosho Peak, which is about 2.6 miles (4.2 km) to the east-southeast. Water from Red Mountain flows into the Skagit River through Panther and Fisher Creeks.
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Understanding Red Mountain's Weather
Red Mountain is located in a special weather area called the marine west coast climate zone. This means it gets a lot of weather from the Pacific Ocean. Most weather systems, like big clouds and storms, start over the Pacific Ocean and move east towards the Cascade Mountains.
How Mountains Affect Weather
When these weather systems hit the North Cascades, the mountains force the air upward. This process, called orographic lift, makes the air cool down. As the air cools, it drops its moisture as rain or snow onto the Cascades. This is why the western side of the North Cascades gets a lot of rain and especially heavy snowfall in winter.
Seasonal Weather Patterns
During the winter, the weather is usually cloudy. But in the summer, high-pressure systems over the Pacific Ocean often bring clear skies. Because of the ocean's influence, the snow here tends to be wet and heavy. This can create a high risk of avalanches, which are dangerous slides of snow down a mountain.
The Story of Red Mountain's Rocks
The North Cascades area, where Red Mountain is located, has some of the most dramatic landscapes. You can see jagged peaks, long ridges, and very deep valleys carved by glaciers. These amazing shapes were created by geological events that happened millions of years ago. These events also caused big changes in elevation, which led to different climates and types of plants in the area.
How the Cascade Mountains Formed
The Cascade Range started forming millions of years ago, during a time called the late Eocene Epoch. This happened because the North American Plate (a huge piece of Earth's crust) was slowly moving over the Pacific Plate. This movement caused many volcanic eruptions. Also, small pieces of Earth's crust, called terranes, crashed into North America. These collisions helped build the North Cascades about 50 million years ago.
The Role of Glaciers and Earth Movements
During the Pleistocene period, which began over two million years ago, huge sheets of ice called glaciers moved across the land many times. As they advanced and retreated, they scraped away the landscape, leaving behind piles of rock. The "U"-shaped valleys you see today were carved out by these glaciers. The combination of the land being pushed up (called uplift) and cracks forming in the Earth's crust (called faulting), along with the glaciers, created the tall peaks and deep valleys of the North Cascades.
