Mount Clark is a
granite
Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...
peak in the
Clark Range, a sub-range of the
Sierra Nevada
The Sierra Nevada ( ) is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primari ...
. It is a popular destination for
mountaineers
Mountaineering, mountain climbing, or alpinism is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas that have become sports ...
.
Both the mountain and the range are named in honor of
Galen Clark
Galen Clark (March 28, 1814 – March 24, 1910) was a British North American-born American conservationist and writer. He is known as the first European American to discover the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoia trees, and is notable for his ro ...
, an early explorer and the first guardian of
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park ( ) is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in California. It is bordered on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The p ...
. It was summited in 1866 by Clarence King and James Gardener of the US Geological Survey. Before it received its present name, it was known as Gothic Peak and then The Obelisk, the name used by the
Whitney Survey
The California Geological Survey, previously known as the California Division of Mines and Geology, is the California state geologic agency.
History
Although it was not until 1880 that the California State Mining Bureau, predecessor to the Cal ...
. Obelisk Lake, at lies on the mountain's northeast flank.
Climate
Mount Clark is located in an
alpine climate
Alpine climate is the typical climate for elevations above the tree line, where trees fail to grow due to cold. This climate is also referred to as a mountain climate or highland climate.
Definition
There are multiple definitions of alpine cli ...
zone.
Most
weather front
A weather front is a boundary separating air masses for which several characteristics differ, such as air density, wind, temperature, and humidity. Disturbed and unstable weather due to these differences often arises along the boundary. For ins ...
s originate in the
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...
, and travel east toward the Sierra Nevada mountains. As fronts approach, they are forced upward by the peaks (
orographic lift
Orographic lift occurs when an air mass is forced from a low elevation to a higher elevation as it moves over rising terrain. As the air mass gains altitude it quickly cools down adiabatically, which can raise the relative humidity to 100% and cr ...
), causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall onto the range.
Gallery
File:Mt. Clark aerial.jpg, Aerial view from the southwest
File:Clark Range.jpg, Clark Range, Mt. Clark to right (north aspect)
File:The Clark Range. Yosemite National Park, California, crop.jpg, Red Peak (left), Gray Peak, Mt. Clark (right)
File:Mt. Clark.jpg, North aspect of Mount Clark seen from Clouds Rest. Gray Peak to right.
See also
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Geology of the Yosemite area
References
External links
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Mountains of Yosemite National Park
Mountains of Mariposa County, California
Three-thousanders of the United States
Mountains of Northern California
Sierra Nevada (United States)
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