Electric Peak (San Juan Mountains)

Electric Peak
Northwest aspect centered
(Top of Arrow Peak visible directly behind Electric. Trinity Peaks to left, Graystone Peak to right.)
Highest point
Elevation13,292 ft (4,051 m)[1]
Prominence812 ft (247 m)[1]
Parent peakGraystone Peak (13,489 ft)[2]
Isolation0.58 mi (0.93 km)[2]
Coordinates37°41′56″N 107°37′02″W / 37.6989661°N 107.6172295°W / 37.6989661; -107.6172295[3]
Geography
Electric Peak is located in Colorado
Electric Peak
Electric Peak
Location in Colorado
Electric Peak is located in the United States
Electric Peak
Electric Peak
Electric Peak (the United States)
LocationSan Juan County, Colorado, US
Parent rangeRocky Mountains
San Juan Mountains
Needle Mountains[1]
Topo mapUSGS Storm King Peak
Geology
Rock ageStatherian
Mountain typeIntrusive
Rock typeQuartzite
Climbing
Easiest routeclass 2[2] South Face[4]

Electric Peak is a 13,292-foot-elevation (4,051-meter) mountain summit located in San Juan County, Colorado, United States.[3] It is situated eight miles south of the community of Silverton, in the Weminuche Wilderness, on land managed by San Juan National Forest. It is part of the Needle Mountains which are a subset of the San Juan Mountains, which in turn is a subset of the Rocky Mountains. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into tributaries of the Animas River. The peak can be seen from U.S. Route 550 and the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Topographic relief is significant as the west aspect rises over 4,500 feet (1,400 meters) above the river and railway in approximately two miles. It is set five miles west of the Continental Divide, and one mile east of Mount Garfield. The mountain's name, which has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names, was in use before 1906 when Henry Gannett published it in the Gazetteer of Colorado.[5]

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Electric Peak is located in an alpine subarctic climate zone with very long, cold, snowy winters, and cool to warm summers.[6] Due to its altitude, it receives precipitation all year, as snow in winter, and as thunderstorms in summer, with a dry period in late spring.

Geology

Electric Peak is part of the Uncompahgre Formation, which is a sequence of quartzite and black phyllite some 8,200 feet (2,500 meters) in thickness.[7] The formation dates to the Statherian period and is interpreted as metamorphosed marine and fluvial sandstone, mudstone, and shale. The formation overlies plutons with an age of 1,707 million years.

  • Electric Peak (left), Graystone Peak, Mt. Garfield (right) viewed from Molas Lake
    Electric Peak (left), Graystone Peak, Mt. Garfield (right) viewed from Molas Lake
  • Electric Peak (left), Garfield (right) seen with Animas River from Durango and Silverton train
    Electric Peak (left), Garfield (right) seen with Animas River from Durango and Silverton train
  • Electric Peak, Graystone Peak (center), Mt. Garfield (right) from Molas Lake
    Electric Peak, Graystone Peak (center), Mt. Garfield (right) from Molas Lake
  • Electric Peak, Graystone Peak (center), Mt. Garfield (right)
    Electric Peak, Graystone Peak (center), Mt. Garfield (right)

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Electric Peak, Colorado". Peakbagger.com.
  2. ^ a b c "Electric Peak - 13,292' CO". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2021-06-29.
  3. ^ a b "Electric Peak". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2021-06-29.
  4. ^ Robert F. Rosebrough, The San Juan Mountains: A Climbing & Hiking Guide, Cordillera Press, 1986, page 170.
  5. ^ Henry Gannett, Gazetteer of Colorado, 1906, US Government Printing Office, page 64.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ Rob Blair, Tom Ann Casey, William H. Romme, The Western San Juan Mountains: Their Geology, Ecology, and Human History, 1996, University Press of Colorado, ISBN 9780870813788, page 350.