Syncline Mountain facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Syncline Mountain |
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North aspect from PCT
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 7,560 ft (2,300 m) |
| Prominence | 1,360 ft (410 m) |
| Isolation | 2.08 mi (3.35 km) |
| Parent peak | Pasayten Peak (7,850 ft) |
| Geography | |
 Syncline Mountain
Location in Washington (state)
Syncline Mountain
Location in the United States
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| Location | Okanogan County / Whatcom County Washington state, U.S. |
| Parent range | Okanogan Range North Cascades Cascade Range |
| Topo map | USGS Slate Peak |
| Type of rock | sandstone, shale |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | Harts Pass, PCT class 2 scrambling |
Syncline Mountain is a mountain in Washington state. It stands about 7,560 feet (2,304 meters) tall. This mountain is located right on the border between Okanogan County and Whatcom County.
It's part of the Okanogan Range, which is a smaller part of the larger North Cascades mountain range. The land around it is managed by the Okanogan National Forest.
Syncline Mountain gets its name from a cool rock formation called a syncline. A syncline is a fold in rock layers that dips downward, like a U-shape. This mountain clearly shows one of these folds.
The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) goes along the eastern side of the mountain. Hikers can take a short off-trail climb to reach the very top. Water from the mountain flows into Trout Creek to the east, or Slate Creek to the northwest. These creeks eventually join bigger rivers like the Methow River and the Skagit River.
Weather and Climate
The weather at Syncline Mountain is mostly shaped by the Pacific Ocean. Most weather systems start over the ocean and move northeast. When these systems hit the Cascade Mountains, the mountains force the air upward. This process is called Orographic lift. As the air rises, it cools down and drops its moisture as rain or snow.
Because of this, the western side of the North Cascades gets a lot more rain and snow. This is especially true during winter. Winters are usually cloudy, with lots of snowfall.
However, summers are often clear and sunny. This is because high-pressure systems build up over the Pacific Ocean. The best time to visit is usually from July to September. During these months, the Forest Service roads are open. Sometimes, smoke from distant wildfires can make it hazy, which has become more common with climate change.
How the Mountain Formed
The North Cascades are known for their rugged and dramatic landscape. You can see sharp peaks, tall spires, long ridges, and deep valleys carved by glaciers. All these amazing features were created by geological events that happened millions of years ago. These events also caused the big changes in elevation and different climates across the Cascade Range.
The Cascade Mountains started forming millions of years ago, around 50 million years ago. This happened because the North American Plate was slowly moving over the Pacific Plate. This movement caused a lot of volcanic activity, creating new rock.
Also, small pieces of the Earth's crust, called terranes, crashed into North America. These pieces added to the land and helped build the North Cascades about 50 million years ago.
Later, during the Pleistocene period (which started over two million years ago), huge sheets of ice called glaciers covered the land. These glaciers moved forward and backward many times. As they moved, they scraped and carved the landscape. This left behind piles of rock and created the "U"-shaped valleys you see today.
The combination of the land pushing up (called uplift) and cracks in the Earth's crust (called faulting) along with the glaciers, created the tall peaks and deep valleys of the North Cascades.
