Goat Rocks
| Goat Rocks | |
|---|---|
The Goat Rocks, with Gilbert Peak at upper left
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 8,201 ft (2,500 m) |
| Coordinates | 46°29′19″N 121°24′21″W / 46.48861°N 121.40583°WCoordinates: 46°29′19″N 121°24′21″W / 46.48861°N 121.40583°W |
| Geography | |
| Location | Lewis / Yakima counties, Washington, U.S. |
| Parent range | Cascade Range |
| Topo map | USGS Old Snowy Mountain, Walupt Lake |
| Geology | |
| Age of rock | 3.2 million - ~500,000 years |
| Mountain type | Extinct stratovolcano |
| Volcanic arc | Cascade Volcanic Arc |
| Last eruption | ~500,000 years ago |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | Fred G. Plummer, 1899 |
| Easiest route | Scrambling |
Goat Rocks is an extinct stratovolcano in the Cascade Range, located between Mount Rainier and Mount Adams in southern Washington, in the United States. Part of the Cascade Volcanoes, it was formed by the subduction of the Juan de Fuca Plate under the western edge of the North American Plate. The volcano was active from 3.2 million years ago until eruptions ceased between 1 and 0.5 million years ago. Throughout its complex eruptive history, volcanism shifted from silicic explosive eruptions to voluminous, mafic activity.
The volcano and the surrounding Goat Rocks Wilderness, established in 1964, are named after the numerous mountain goats which live in the area. The variable climate of the wilderness area supports a host of wildlife, including marmots, pikas, deer, and elk. Various peaks within the wilderness can be climbed or scrambled, and other activities such as hiking are permitted. The area is rife with minerals and resources, including coal, cobalt, copper, and base metals.
Goats Rocks volcano is located in southern Washington, 113 km (70 mi) west of Yakima, at latitude 46.50° N and longitude 121.45° W. This region of the Cascades was originally occupied by Native Americans, who hunted and fished in its vicinity and used its trails as trade routes. Goat Rocks lies in a zone of intermittent volcanism which has produced many small volcanic vents, also including the Mount Adams volcanic field and Indian Heaven. Situated in the eastern portion of the Cascade Range, Goat Rocks lies at the northwest corner of the Klickitat River basin. As a member of the Cascade Volcanoes, Goat Rocks was produced by the subduction of the oceanic Juan de Fuca plate under the western edge of the continental North American Plate. This fault, known as the Cascadia subduction zone, lacks the deep oceanic trench usually found at convergent plate boundaries, which can probably be explained by its slow rate of subduction. According to the United States Geological Survey, the Nazca and North American plates converge at a rate of 3 cm (1 in) to 4 cm (2 in) each year, just half of their convergence rate as recently as 7 million years ago.
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Wikipedia