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Mount Helen (Montana)

Coordinates: 48°28′29″N 113°28′00″W / 48.4746886°N 113.466769°W / 48.4746886; -113.466769
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mount Helen
Mount Helen from Two Medicine Valley
Highest point
Elevation[1]
Prominence940 ft (290 m)[1]
Coordinates48°28′29″N 113°28′00″W / 48.4746886°N 113.466769°W / 48.4746886; -113.466769[2]
Geography
Mount Helen is located in Montana
Mount Helen
Mount Helen
Location in Montana
Mount Helen is located in the United States
Mount Helen
Mount Helen
Location in the United States
LocationGlacier County / Flathead County
Montana, United States
Parent rangeLewis Range
Topo mapUSGS Mount Rockwell
Climbing
First ascentUnknown
Easiest routeScramble

Mount Helen (8,538 feet (2,602 m)) is located in the Lewis Range, Glacier National Park in the U.S. state of Montana.[3] Mount Helen rises immediately to the northwest roughly 3,100 feet (940 m) above Upper Two Medicine Lake in the southeastern part of Glacier National Park.[4] The Continental Divide of the Americas passes over the summit of Mount Helen.

Geology

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Like the mountains in Glacier National Park, Mt. Helen is composed of sedimentary rock laid down during the Precambrian to Jurassic periods. Formed in shallow seas, this sedimentary rock was initially uplifted beginning 170 million years ago when the Lewis Overthrust fault pushed an enormous slab of precambrian rocks 3 mi (4.8 km) thick, 50 miles (80 km) wide and 160 miles (260 km) long over younger rock of the cretaceous period.[5]

Climate

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Based on the Köppen climate classification, Mt. Helen is located in an alpine subarctic climate zone characterized by long, usually very cold winters, and short, cool to mild summers.[6] Temperatures can drop below −10 °F with wind chill factors below −30 °F.

Mt. Helen and Two Medicine Lake seen from Scenic Point

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Mount Helen, Montana". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  2. ^ "Mount Helen". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  3. ^ Mount Rockwell, MT (Map). TopoQwest (United States Geological Survey Maps). Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  4. ^ "Mount Helen". Summitpost.org. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  5. ^ Gadd, Ben (2008). "Geology of the Rocky Mountains and Columbias". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  6. ^ Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification" (PDF). Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11 (5): 1633–1644. Bibcode:2007HESS...11.1633P. doi:10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007. ISSN 1027-5606. S2CID 9654551.