- Mount Olympus (Washington)
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Mount Olympus 
Elevation 7,980 ft (2,432 m) NAVD 88[1] Prominence 7,838 ft (2,389 m) [2] Location Location Olympic National Park, Jefferson County, Washington, USA Range Olympic Mountains Coordinates 47°48′05″N 123°42′39″W / 47.801298806°N 123.710837242°WCoordinates: 47°48′05″N 123°42′39″W / 47.801298806°N 123.710837242°W[1] Topo map USGS Mount Olympus Geology Type Shale and sandstone Age of rock Eocene Climbing First ascent 1907 by L.A. Nelson and party [3] Easiest route Glacier Climb Mount Olympus is the tallest and most prominent mountain in the Olympic Mountains of western Washington state. Located on the Olympic Peninsula, it is the central feature of Olympic National Park. Mount Olympus is the highest summit of the Olympic Mountains, however, peaks such as Mount Constance, on the eastern margin of the range, are more visible from the Seattle metropolitan area. With notable local relief, it ascends over 2,100 m (6,900 ft) from the 293 m (961 ft) elevation confluence of the Hoh River with Hoh Creek in only 8.8 km (5.5 mi). Mount Olympus has 7,829 ft (2,386 m) of prominence, ranking 5th in the state of Washington.[4]
Due to heavy winter snowfalls, Mount Olympus supports large glaciers, despite its modest elevation and relatively low latitude. These glaciers include Blue, Hoh, Humes, Jeffers, Hubert, and White, the longest of which is Hoh at 3.06 miles (4.93 km). The largest is Blue with a volume of 0.14 cubic miles (0.57 km3) and area of 2.05 square miles (5.31 km2).[5]
Mount Olympus was sighted in 1774 by the Spanish explorer Juan Perez, who named it "El Cerro de la Santa Rosalia". This is said to be the first time a European named a geographic feature in what is now Washington state. In 1778, on July 4, the British explorer John Meares gave the mountain its present name.[6]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Mt Olympus". NGS data sheet. U.S. National Geodetic Survey. http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/ds_mark.prl?PidBox=SY1857. Retrieved 2009-01-11.
- ^ "Mount Olympus, Washington". Peakbagger.com. http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=950. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
- ^ Olympic Mountain Rescue (Society) (1988). Climber's Guide to the Olympic Mountains (3rd ed.). Seattle: Mountaineers Books. p. 163. ISBN 978-0898861549.
- ^ "All Washington Peaks with 2000 Feet of Prominence". Jeff Howbert. http://howbert.netherweb.com/mountains/WA_all_2000P/WA_all_2000P_list_Psort.html.
- ^ Spicer, Richard C. (1986). Glaciers in the Olympic Mountains, Washington: Present Distribution and Recent Variations. Thesis, University of Washington.
- ^ Phillips, James W. (1971). Washington State Place Names. University of Washington Press. ISBN 0-295-95158-3.
External links
- "Mount Olympus". SummitPost.org. http://www.summitpost.org/page/150427.
- "Mount Olympus". Bivouac.com. http://www.bivouac.com/MtnPg.asp?MtnId=8139.
- "Mount Olympus". Peakware.com. http://www.peakware.com/peaks.html?pk=200.
Glaciers of the Olympic Mountains Mount Olympus Mount Anderson Other mountains See also Glaciers of Mount Adams · Glaciers of Mount Baker · Glaciers of Mount Rainier · Glaciers of Mount St. Helens · Glaciers of other Washington mountainsCategories:- Mountains of Washington (state)
- United States National Park high points
- Landforms of Jefferson County, Washington
- Olympic Mountains
- Olympic National Park
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