Rafferty Peak Explained

Rafferty Peak
Elevation Ft:11110.
Elevation Ref:[1]
Prominence Ft:190.
Prominence Ref:[2]
Isolation Mi:1.0
Isolation Ref:[3]
Etymology:Ogden Rafferty
Map:California#USA
Map Size:250
Label Position:bottom
Location:Yosemite National Park
Mariposa / Tuolumne counties
California, U.S.
Range:Cathedral Range, Sierra Nevada
Coordinates:37.8152°N -119.3555°W
Coordinates Ref:[4]
Topo:USGS Vogelsang Peak
Type:Fault block
Rock:Granodiorite
Age:Cretaceous
First Ascent:Edward W. Hernden[5]

Rafferty Peak is an 11,110-foot-elevation (3,386 meter) mountain summit located in Yosemite National Park, in California, United States. It is situated on the common border shared by Mariposa and Tuolumne Counties. It is set south of Tuolumne Meadows in the Cathedral Range which is a sub-range of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. The mountain rises 1miles northwest of Tuolumne Pass, 1.4 mile south of Johnson Peak, and 2.5 miles east of Matthes Crest. Tuolumne Pass is the low point of the saddle between Rafferty Peak and Fletcher Peak. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 1500abbr=offNaNabbr=off above Nelson Lake in one mile.

History

This geographical feature was named in 1895 by Lieutenant Nathaniel Fish McClure who prepared a map of Yosemite National Park for use by troops. The name honors Captain Ogden Rafferty (1860–1922), Medical Corps, United States Army, who accompanied McClure on a patrol of Yosemite Valley.[4] This geographical feature's toponym was submitted by the National Park Service and officially adopted in 1932 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.[4] The first ascent of the summit was made by Edward W. Hernden, date unknown.[6]

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Rafferty Peak is located in an alpine climate zone.[7] Most weather fronts originate in the Pacific Ocean, and travel east toward the Sierra Nevada mountains. As fronts approach, they are forced upward by the peaks (orographic lift), causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall onto the range. Precipitation runoff from this landform drains north to the Tuolumne River via Rafferty Creek, and south to the Merced River.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. R. J. Secor, The High Sierra Peaks, Passes, Trails, 2009, Third Edition, Mountaineers Books,
  2. 40187. Rafferty Peak, California. 2022-06-13.
  3. Web site: Rafferty Peak - 11,110' CA. listsofjohn.com. 2022-06-13.
  4. 1659455. Rafferty Peak. 2022-06-13.
  5. https://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/climbers_guide/cathedral_range.html Edward S. Robbins and Alfred W. Baxter, Jr., A Climber's Guide to the High Sierra (1954)
  6. Steve Roper, (1976), The Climber's Guide to the High Sierra, Sierra Club Books,, p 335.
  7. Encyclopedia: Climate of the Sierra Nevada . Encyclopædia Britannica.