Knob Mountain (Pennsylvania)
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Knob Mountain (also known as Nob Mountain) is a
ridge A ridge is a long, narrow, elevated geomorphologic landform, structural feature, or a combination of both separated from the surrounding terrain by steep sides. The sides of a ridge slope away from a narrow top, the crest or ridgecrest, wi ...
in the northeastern part of
Columbia County, Pennsylvania Columbia County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 64,727. Its county seat is Bloomsburg. The county was created on March 22, 1813, from part of Northumberland County. It ...
and parts of
Luzerne County, Pennsylvania Luzerne County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and is water. It is Northeaste ...
. Its
elevation The elevation of a geographic location (geography), ''location'' is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational equipotenti ...
is over 1720 feet above
sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...
. Knob Mountain can be seen from a considerable distance, and is also visible from Bloomsburg. The peak of the mountain is one of the highest points in Columbia County.


Geology and geography

Knob Mountain's western terminus is near Orangeville. The mountain runs eastward and slightly northward for ten or twelve miles (16 or 20 kilometers) before descending to the level of the surrounding land, slightly over the Luzerne County line. However, it has a slightly lower
subsidiary peak A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used only for ...
known as Huntington Mountain that extends in approximately the same direction as the main mountain as far as Shickshinny. Knob Mountain is a fairly steep mountain. It is more steep on its northern side than it is on its southern side. Its base is in the watersheds of Fishing Creek and Huntington Creek. At one point, Fishing Creek makes a sharp curve around the base of Knob Mountain. The outline of the mountain is fairly uniform. However, there is a notch near the eastern terminus of Knob Mountain. A
terminal moraine A terminal moraine, also called an end moraine, is a type of moraine that forms at the terminal (edge) of a glacier, marking its maximum advance. At this point, debris that has accumulated by plucking and abrasion, has been pushed by the front e ...
runs from the nearby Lee Mountain to the southern base of Knob Mountain and then over Knob Mountain to Fishing Creek. The mountain has coarse, hard
sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...
near its peak and is situated in the Wyoming coal basin. This coal basin is part of a chain of coal-containing areas that runs between
Lackawanna County Lackawanna County (; ) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It had a population of 215,615 in 2022. Its county seat and most populous city is Scranton. The county is part of the Northeast region of the commonwealth. The county was ...
and
Dauphin County Dauphin County (; Pennsylvania Dutch: Daffin Kaundi) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 286,401. The county seat is Harrisburg, Pennsylvania's state capital and ninth-most populous city. ...
. The Wyoming and Lackawanna coal field terminates at Knob Mountain. There is also a
red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a seconda ...
shale Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock formed from mud that is a mix of flakes of Clay mineral, clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g., Kaolinite, kaolin, aluminium, Al2Silicon, Si2Oxygen, O5(hydroxide, OH)4) and tiny f ...
basin under the mountain. Lee Mountain and Huntington Mountain are mountains that are near to Knob Mountain, and they can be considered eastward extensions of Knob Mountain.


Climbing

Knob Mountain can be approached from any direction. Two roads cross over the main part of the mountain. The highest point on the whole ridge is over 1720 feet.


History

The area in the vicinity of Fishing Creek and Knob Mountain was first settled in 1780. However, it was not until 1785 that large numbers of people traveled to the area around Knob Mountain. The settlers that arrived in this year primarily traveled from
New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
to the mouth of Fishing Creek via Berwick and from the mouth of Fishing Creek up the creek's valley to near Knob Mountain. Such settlement was, at the time, the northernmost non-native settlement in the Fishing Creek watershed. A community at the base of the mountain was built in 1822. An
Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Associated with India * of or related to India ** Indian people ** Indian diaspora ** Languages of India ** Indian English, a dialect of the English language ** Indian cuisine Associated with indigenous peoples o ...
path once passed over the mountain near its eastern terminus. The Susquehanna and Tioga Turnpike once crossed over Knob Mountain. A township border was once determined to be a heap of
stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...
s on the top of Knob Mountain.


Fauna and flora

Knob Mountain has
forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...
s at its peak. It is surrounded by agricultural communities. In the early days of civilization in the area around Knob Mountain, the mountain was commonly believed to be home to numerous
wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, including the dog and dingo, though gr ...
and
bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family (biology), family Ursidae (). They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats ...
s.


See also

* Catawissa Mountain *
North Mountain (Pennsylvania) North Mountain is a ridge primarily located in Davidson Township of Sullivan County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Its summit is that county's highest point, the 10th highest among the state's 67 counties. Portions also extend into neighbor ...


References


External links

{{commons category
Map of Knob Mountain
Ridges of Pennsylvania Landforms of Columbia County, Pennsylvania