Elkhorn Mountains
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2020) |
| Elkhorn Mountains | |
|---|---|
 West side of the Elkhorns as viewed from Jefferson County, Montana | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Crow Peak |
| Elevation | 9,414 ft (2,869 m) |
| Coordinates | 46°17′38″N 111°54′15″W / 46.29389°N 111.90417°W |
| Geography | |
| |
| Country | United States |
| State | Montana |
| Parent range | Rocky Mountains |
| Geology | |
| Age of rock | Late Cretaceous |
The Elkhorn Mountains are a mountain range in southwestern Montana, part of the Rocky Mountains and are roughly 300,000 acres (1200 km²) in size. It is an inactive volcanic mountain range with the highest point being Crow Peak at 9,414 ft (2,869 m), right next to Elkhorn Peak, 9,381 ft (2,859 m). The range is surrounded by the cities of Helena, Montana City, Townsend, Whitehall, and Boulder and is part of the Helena National Forest in Montana's Jefferson County.
Geology
The mountain range seen today is related to regional structural uplift dating mostly to Oligocene time.
The Land
A
Despite the impacts of mining, around 100,000 acres of the Elkhorns were still roadless in 1992; this included 85,000 acres of roadless National Forest land as well as adjacent BLM, state and private lands.[2] Congress designated 175,000 acres of the range as the "Elkhorns Wildlife Management Area," and one of Montana's most productive elk herds inhabits the range.[2] Because the Elkhorns are higher in elevation than the nearby section of the Continental Divide, they catch more moisture than do most other ranges east of the Divide. For this reason, the Elkhorns are especially diverse, with 148 documented vertebrate species.[2]
Climate
Tizer Basin is a SNOTEL weather station situated by Big Tizer Creek near Bullock Hill (Montana). 7,917 ft (2,413 m),[3] Tizer Basin has a subalpine climate (Köppen Dfc).
| Climate data for Tizer Basin, Montana, 1991–2020 normals, 1988-2020 extremes: 6880ft (2097m) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 61 (16) |
58 (14) |
62 (17) |
70 (21) |
78 (26) |
87 (31) |
88 (31) |
87 (31) |
86 (30) |
77 (25) |
65 (18) |
53 (12) |
88 (31) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 49.1 (9.5) |
48.3 (9.1) |
55.0 (12.8) |
62.5 (16.9) |
71.1 (21.7) |
77.4 (25.2) |
82.7 (28.2) |
81.9 (27.7) |
77.4 (25.2) |
67.4 (19.7) |
54.7 (12.6) |
46.4 (8.0) |
83.8 (28.8) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 32.3 (0.2) |
33.0 (0.6) |
40.0 (4.4) |
45.5 (7.5) |
54.2 (12.3) |
62.1 (16.7) |
72.0 (22.2) |
71.1 (21.7) |
61.4 (16.3) |
48.0 (8.9) |
37.5 (3.1) |
31.0 (−0.6) |
49.0 (9.4) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 22.7 (−5.2) |
22.2 (−5.4) |
28.5 (−1.9) |
33.9 (1.1) |
42.1 (5.6) |
49.2 (9.6) |
57.0 (13.9) |
55.8 (13.2) |
48.0 (8.9) |
37.0 (2.8) |
27.7 (−2.4) |
21.5 (−5.8) |
37.1 (2.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 13.1 (−10.5) |
11.3 (−11.5) |
16.9 (−8.4) |
22.3 (−5.4) |
30.0 (−1.1) |
36.3 (2.4) |
41.8 (5.4) |
40.6 (4.8) |
34.5 (1.4) |
26.0 (−3.3) |
17.8 (−7.9) |
11.9 (−11.2) |
25.2 (−3.8) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −12.2 (−24.6) |
−12.9 (−24.9) |
−5.4 (−20.8) |
5.6 (−14.7) |
17.7 (−7.9) |
27.5 (−2.5) |
32.8 (0.4) |
30.5 (−0.8) |
22.3 (−5.4) |
7.3 (−13.7) |
−4.8 (−20.4) |
−13.0 (−25.0) |
−24.1 (−31.2) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −27 (−33) |
−42 (−41) |
−28 (−33) |
−10 (−23) |
3 (−16) |
23 (−5) |
25 (−4) |
17 (−8) |
10 (−12) |
−18 (−28) |
−25 (−32) |
−37 (−38) |
−42 (−41) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.33 (34) |
1.43 (36) |
1.95 (50) |
3.13 (80) |
3.46 (88) |
4.01 (102) |
1.96 (50) |
1.55 (39) |
1.73 (44) |
2.12 (54) |
1.88 (48) |
1.56 (40) |
26.11 (665) |
| Source 1: XMACIS2[4] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: NOAA (Precipitation)[5] | |||||||||||||
See also
Notes
- ^ "Elkhorn Mountains Volcanoes" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-06-20. Retrieved 2012-01-11.
- ^ ISBN 0-517-58737-8.
- ^ "Bullock Hill". Peakery. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
- ^ "xmACIS2". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
- ^ "Tizer Basin, Montana 1991-2020 Monthly Normals". Retrieved November 24, 2023.
External links
- Geology of the Elkhorn Mountains Volcanics
- Elkhorn Wildlife Management Unit
- Elkhorn Mountain Endurance Runs
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| National | |
