Silver Peak (Fresno County, California) Explained

Silver Peak
Elevation Ft:11878
Elevation Ref:[1]
Prominence Ft:1198
Prominence Ref:[2]
Isolation Mi:6.14
Isolation Ref:[3]
Parent Peak:Evon Benchmark (12,221 ft)
Listing:Sierra Peaks Section
Map:California#USA
Map Size:260
Label Position:bottom
Location:Fresno County, California, U.S.
Range:Sierra Nevada
Coordinates:37.4697°N -119.0212°W
Coordinates Ref:[4]
Topo:USGS Sharktooth Peak
Type:Fault block
Rock:Granodiorite
Age:Cretaceous
First Ascent:<1937

Silver Peak is an 11,878-foot-elevation (3,620 meter) mountain summit located in the Sierra Nevada mountain range in Fresno County, California, United States.[4] It is set in the John Muir Wilderness, on land managed by Sierra National Forest. Silver Peak ranks as the 455th-highest summit in California,[3] and topographic relief is significant as the east aspect rises nearly 2300abbr=offNaNabbr=off above Beetlebug Lake in approximately one mile. It is 6miles north of Lake Thomas A Edison, and approximately south of the community of Mammoth Lakes. The peak is situated on Silver Divide, two miles northwest of Graveyard Peak. The first ascent of the summit was made prior to 1937 by an unknown party.[5] Inclusion on the Sierra Peaks Section peakbagging list generates climbing interest.

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Silver Peak is located in an alpine climate zone.[6] 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 the mountain drains into tributaries of the San Joaquin River.

Etymology

Headwaters of Silver Creek originate from several lakes along the west slope of Silver Peak. Theodore Solomons so named the creek because of its silvery appearance, and the peak he named in association with the creek.[7] This landform's toponym has been officially adopted by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.[4] There are 10 mountains in California with this same official name, and this one has the highest elevation.

See also

Notes and References

  1. R. J. Secor, The High Sierra Peaks, Passes, Trails, 2009, Third Edition, Mountaineers Books,, p. 363
  2. 13547. Silver Peak, California. 2022-05-27.
  3. Web site: Silver Peak - 11,878' CA. listsofjohn.com. 2022-05-27.
  4. 233139. Silver Peak. 2022-05-27.
  5. https://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/climbers_guide/mammoth_pass_to_mono_pass.html George Bloom and John D. Mendenhall, A Climber’s Guide to the High Sierra (1954)
  6. Encyclopedia: Climate of the Sierra Nevada . Encyclopædia Britannica.
  7. http://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/place_names_of_the_high_sierra/s.html Francis P. Farquhar, Place Names of the High Sierra (1926)