Elk Mountain (Flathead County, Montana)

Elk Mountain is a 7,835-foot-elevation (2,388-meter) mountain summit located in Flathead County in the U.S. state of Montana.[3] It is situated in the southern tip of Glacier National Park, in the Lewis Range, about four miles to the west side of the Continental Divide. US Highway 2 and the Hi-Line Subdivision of the BNSF Railway traverse the southern base of this mountain, approximately four miles west of Marias Pass. Topographic relief is significant as the northwest aspect rises 3,400 feet (1,000 meters) above Ole Creek in one mile. The nearest higher neighbor is Sheep Mountain 2.7 miles to the north-northwest.[1] The mountain's name first appeared on a 1914 USGS map, and was officially adopted in 1929 by the United States Board on Geographic Names.[3] The summit is the site of a former fire lookout that was built in the 1930s, and removed in 1963.

Elk Mountain
East aspect
Highest point
Elevation7,835 ft (2,388 m)[1]
Prominence1,267 ft (386 m)[1]
Parent peakLittle Dog Mountain (8,610 ft)[2]
Isolation2.71 mi (4.36 km)[2]
Coordinates48°18′24″N 113°26′40″W[3]
Naming
EtymologyElk
Geography
Elk Mountain is located in Montana
Elk Mountain
Elk Mountain
Location in Montana
Elk Mountain is located in the United States
Elk Mountain
Elk Mountain
Location in the United States
LocationGlacier National Park
Flathead County, Montana, U.S.
Parent rangeLewis Range
Rocky Mountains
Topo mapUSGS Blacktail
Climbing
Easiest routeclass 1 steep trail

Geology

Like other mountains in Glacier National Park, Elk Mountain is composed of sedimentary rock laid down during the Precambrian to Jurassic periods. Formed in shallow seas, this sedimentary rock was initially uplifted beginning 170 million years ago when the Lewis Overthrust fault pushed an enormous slab of precambrian rocks 3 mi (4.8 km) thick, 50 miles (80 km) wide and 160 miles (260 km) long over younger rock of the cretaceous period.[4]

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Elk Mountain is located in an alpine subarctic climate zone with long, cold, snowy winters, and cool to warm summers.[5] Winter temperatures can drop below −10 °F with wind chill factors below −30 °F. Due to its altitude, it receives precipitation all year, as snow in winter, and as thunderstorms in summer. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into Autumn and Ole Creeks, which are both tributaries of Middle Fork Flathead River. This climate supports a Lodgepole pine forest on its lower slopes.

Fresh snow on Elk Mountain

See also

References
  1. "Elk Mountain, Montana". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2021-08-23.
  2. "Elk Mountain - 7,835' MT". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2021-08-23.
  3. "Elk Mountain". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2021-08-23.
  4. Gadd, Ben (2008). "Geology of the Rocky Mountains and Columbias". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  5. Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11. ISSN 1027-5606.
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