Mount Shuksan
Encyclopedia
Mount Shuksan is a glaciated
massif
in the North Cascades National Park
. Shuksan rises in Whatcom County
, Washington immediately to the east of Mount Baker
, and 11.6 miles (18.7 km) south of the Canadian
border. The mountain's name Shuksan is derived from the Lummi
word [šéqsən], said to mean "high peak". The highest point on the mountain is a three sided peak known as Summit Pyramid. There are two named subsidiary peaks; Nooksack Tower and The Hourglass.
The mountain is composed of Shuksan greenschist, oceanic basalt
that was metamorphosed when the Easton terrane
collided with the west coast of North America
, approximately 120 million years ago. The mountain is an eroded remnant of a thrust plate
formed by the Easton collision.
Shuksan is one of the more often photographed mountains in the Cascade Range. Photographs with its reflection in Picture Lake near Mount Baker Ski Area
are particularly common. The Mount Baker Highway, State Route 542
, is kept open during the winter to support the ski area, and in the late summer, the road to Artist Point allows visitors to travel a few miles higher.
Sulphide Creek Falls
, one of the tallest waterfalls in North America, plunges off the southeastern flank of Mount Shuksan. There are four other tall waterfalls
that spill off Mount Shuksan and neighboring Jagged Ridge and Seahpo Peak
, mostly sourced from small snowfields and glaciers.
Mount Shuksan has several subsidiary peaks, including Seahpo Peak
.
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
massif
Massif
In geology, a massif is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole...
in the North Cascades National Park
North Cascades National Park
North Cascades National Park is a U.S. National Park located in the state of Washington. The park is the largest of the three National Park Service units that comprise the North Cascades National Park Service Complex. Several national wilderness areas and British Columbia parkland adjoin the...
. Shuksan rises in Whatcom County
Whatcom County, Washington
Whatcom County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. Its name ultimately derives from the Lummi word Xwotʼqom, meaning "noisy water." As of 2010, the population was 201,140. The county seat is at Bellingham, which is also the county's largest city...
, Washington immediately to the east of Mount Baker
Mount Baker
Mount Baker , also known as Koma Kulshan or simply Kulshan, is an active glaciated andesitic stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc and the North Cascades of Washington State in the United States. It is the second-most active volcano in the range after Mount Saint Helens...
, and 11.6 miles (18.7 km) south of the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
border. The mountain's name Shuksan is derived from the Lummi
Lummi
The Lummi , governed by the Lummi Nation, are a Native American tribe of the Coast Salish ethnolinguistic group in western Washington state in the United States...
word [šéqsən], said to mean "high peak". The highest point on the mountain is a three sided peak known as Summit Pyramid. There are two named subsidiary peaks; Nooksack Tower and The Hourglass.
The mountain is composed of Shuksan greenschist, oceanic basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
that was metamorphosed when the Easton terrane
Terrane
A terrane in geology is short-hand term for a tectonostratigraphic terrane, which is a fragment of crustal material formed on, or broken off from, one tectonic plate and accreted or "sutured" to crust lying on another plate...
collided with the west coast of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, approximately 120 million years ago. The mountain is an eroded remnant of a thrust plate
Thrust fault
A thrust fault is a type of fault, or break in the Earth's crust across which there has been relative movement, in which rocks of lower stratigraphic position are pushed up and over higher strata. They are often recognized because they place older rocks above younger...
formed by the Easton collision.
Shuksan is one of the more often photographed mountains in the Cascade Range. Photographs with its reflection in Picture Lake near Mount Baker Ski Area
Mount Baker Ski Area
Mt. Baker Ski Area is a ski resort located in Whatcom County, Washington, United States at the end of State Route 542. The base elevation is at 3,500 feet , while the peak of the resort is at 5,089 feet ....
are particularly common. The Mount Baker Highway, State Route 542
State Route 542 (Washington)
State Route 542, also known as SR 542 or the Mount Baker Highway, is a numbered state highway in Washington, United States.-Route description:...
, is kept open during the winter to support the ski area, and in the late summer, the road to Artist Point allows visitors to travel a few miles higher.
Sulphide Creek Falls
Sulphide Creek Falls
Sulphide Creek Falls is a tall, moderately large volume waterfall within North Cascades National Park in Washington state. The falls drop from Sulphide Lake on the southeast side of Mount Shuksan down a narrow flume-like canyon to a broad basin below. Because of the narrow, twisting shape of the...
, one of the tallest waterfalls in North America, plunges off the southeastern flank of Mount Shuksan. There are four other tall waterfalls
Mount Shuksan Waterfalls
There are four prominent waterfalls in the basin of a short tributary of Sulphide Creek, on the southeast flanc of 9,127-foot Mount Shuksan in North Cascades National Park, Washington. Seahpo Peak Falls and Cloudcap Falls, the taller two of the three, are located on separate streams that converge...
that spill off Mount Shuksan and neighboring Jagged Ridge and Seahpo Peak
Seahpo Peak
Seahpo Peak is a subsidiary peak of Mount Shuksan, which rises in the U.S. state of Washington. It is located about east of the main peak of Shuksan and rises to about...
, mostly sourced from small snowfields and glaciers.
Mount Shuksan has several subsidiary peaks, including Seahpo Peak
Seahpo Peak
Seahpo Peak is a subsidiary peak of Mount Shuksan, which rises in the U.S. state of Washington. It is located about east of the main peak of Shuksan and rises to about...
.
Nearby mountains
- Mount TriumphMount TriumphMount Triumph is a summit in the North Cascades range of Washington state. Located approximately west-northwest of the town of Newhalem, it was named by Lage Wernstedt, a surveyor with the U.S. Forest Service...
- Mount Despair
- Mount TerrorMount Terror (Washington)Mount Terror is a mountain of the Cascade Range, located in the northwestern corner of Washington state in Whatcom County. The peak is in North Cascades National Park, about south of the Canadian border.-Nearby mountains:* Mount Triumph* Mount Despair...
- Mount BlumMount BlumMount Blum, or Mount Bald, is a summit of the North Cascades range in Washington state, on the western edge of North Cascades National Park. It is the highest summit of a string of mountain peaks located east of Mount Shuksan and west of the Picket Range. Two small active glaciers rest on its...
- Mount BakerMount BakerMount Baker , also known as Koma Kulshan or simply Kulshan, is an active glaciated andesitic stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc and the North Cascades of Washington State in the United States. It is the second-most active volcano in the range after Mount Saint Helens...