Kearsarge Pinnacles
Kearsarge Pinnacles is a linear series of 12 pillars and crags on a northwest–southeast trending ridge located one mile west of the crest of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, in the southeast corner of Fresno County, in northern California.[3] It is situated in Kings Canyon National Park, 11 miles (18 km) west-southwest of the community of Independence, immediately southwest of the Kearsarge Lakes and Kearsarge Pass, and northwest of parent University Peak. The highest, number 4, rises to 12,008 feet in elevation (3,660 meters), whereas number 8 is the most prominent.[1] Topographic relief is significant as the west aspect rises 2,500 feet (760 meters) above Vidette Meadow in one-half mile. The John Muir Trail traverses below the west aspect of this remote geographical feature. The Kearsarge pinnacles, lakes, peak, and pass were named after the Kearsarge mine to the east, which was named by its owners after the USS Kearsarge.[4] In turn, the ship was named after Mount Kearsarge in New Hampshire.
| Kearsarge Pinnacles | |
|---|---|
Northeast aspect, from Kearsarge Lakes | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 12,008 ft (3,660 m)[1] |
| Prominence | 131 ft (40 m)[1] |
| Parent peak | University Peak (13,589 ft)[2] |
| Isolation | 0.65 mi (1.05 km)[2] |
| Coordinates | 36°45′29″N 118°23′15″W / 36.7579905°N 118.3875970°W[3] |
| Geography | |
Kearsarge Pinnacles Location in California Kearsarge Pinnacles Kearsarge Pinnacles (the United States) | |
| Location | Kings Canyon National Park Fresno County California, U.S. |
| Parent range | Sierra Nevada |
| Topo map | USGS Mount Clarence King |
| Geology | |
| Type of rock | granitic |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | class 3 to 5[2] |
Climate edit
According to the Köppen climate classification system, the Kearsarge Pinnacles are located in an alpine climate zone.[5] 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, causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall onto the range (orographic lift). Precipitation runoff from the ridge drains into tributaries of Bubbs Creek, which in turn is a tributary of the South Fork Kings River.
Gallery edit
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b c "Kearsarge Pinnacle #4, California". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2021-04-23.
- ^ a b c "Kearsarge Pinnacles - 12,040' CA". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2021-04-23.
- ^ a b "Kearsarge Pinnacles". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2021-04-23.
- ^ Francis P. Farquhar, Place Names of the High Sierra (1926)
- ^ 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.
External links edit
- Weather forecast: Kearsarge Pass