White Mountain | |
Elevation Ft: | 6378 |
Prominence Ft: | 520 |
Isolation Mi: | 0.95 |
Isolation Ref: | [1] |
Parent Peak: | Mount LaCrosse (6,417 ft) |
Part Type: | Protected area |
Part: | Olympic National Park |
Country: | United States |
State: | Washington |
Region: | Jefferson |
Region Type: | County |
Range: | Olympic Mountains |
Map: | Washington#USA |
Label Position: | bottom |
Coordinates: | 47.6766°N -123.3286°W |
Topo: | USGS Mount Steel |
Age: | Eocene |
Easiest Route: | scrambling[2] |
White Mountain is a 6378abbr=offNaNabbr=off mountain summit located in the Olympic Mountains, in Jefferson County of Washington state.[3] Situated in Olympic National Park, its nearest higher neighbor is Mount LaCrosse, 0.95miles to the northeast, and an unnamed glacier lies in the north cirque between the two peaks. The Anderson massif lies 3.1miles to the north of White Mountain. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into tributaries of the Quinault River and Duckabush River.
Based on the Köppen climate classification, White Mountain is located in the marine west coast climate zone of western North America.[4] Weather fronts originating in the Pacific Ocean travel northeast toward the Olympic 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 snow. As a result, the Olympics experience high precipitation, especially during the winter months in the form of snowfall.[5] Because of maritime influence, snow tends to be wet and heavy, resulting in avalanche danger. During winter months weather is usually cloudy, but due to high pressure systems over the Pacific Ocean that intensify during summer months, there is often little or no cloud cover during the summer.[5] The months of July through September offer the most favorable weather for climbing.
The Olympic Mountains are composed of obducted clastic wedge material and oceanic crust, primarily Eocene sandstone, turbidite, and basaltic oceanic crust.[6] The mountains were sculpted during the Pleistocene era by erosion and glaciers advancing and retreating multiple times.