Ice Mountain
Ice Mountain Preserve | |
---|---|
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)[1] | |
Location | Hampshire, West Virginia, United States |
Coordinates | 39°21′48″N 78°28′01″W / 39.36333°N 78.46694°W |
Area | 149 acres (60 ha)[2] |
Elevation | 1,509 ft (460 m)[3] |
Website | Ice Mountain Preserve |
Ice Mountain is a mountain ridge and algific talus slope[4] that is part of a 149-acre (60 ha) preserve near the community of North River Mills in Hampshire County, West Virginia, United States. It was designated a National Natural Landmark in 2012.[5]
Ice Mountain is protected by The Nature Conservancy and open for visits by small groups of hikers.[2] It is nicknamed "Nature's Ice Box" and "Nature's Refrigerator" owing to its ice vents that release cool air all year long.[2][4]
Refrigeration
The accumulated rock detritus at Ice Mountain's base forms a talus that is 50 feet (15 m) thick in some places. It creates a refrigeration effect. As cold air sinks into the talus pile during the cooler months it forms masses of ice and ice vents inside it.[6][7][8][9][10] The ice vents are in a section about 200 yards (180 m) in length along Ice Mountain's southern flank.[6][7][10]
Cool air is expelled from the ice in the warmer months.[8] Vent air temperatures vary throughout the year, but the mean annual temperature can be as low as 2 °C (35 °F).[11] Within the area of ice vents there are approximately 60 different pockets[12] and the cold air escapes through more than 150 small openings in the talus.[11]
The cool air affects surrounding air and soil around creating an area of boreal species and plant growth.[8] Studies of Ice Mountain's geology, geomorphology, and micro-climatology since 2000 have shown that ice is no longer apparent after early June, but it is unclear whether this disappearance is due to climate change or the abandonment of historic ice storage strategies[dubious ].[11]
Flora
Ice Mountain's ice vents provide a habitat for
Boreal species at Ice Mountain include
The Appalachian wood fern, which grows on moss, was once thought to have been extinct but is found in abundance near the cold vents at the base of Ice Mountain.[15]
Parts of Ice Mountain are barren, but the majority of the ridge is covered in
West Virginia's
Fauna
Ice Mountain provides habitats for breeding neotropical birds including warblers, vireos, and thrushes as well as various types of birds common in the central Appalachian Mountains.[2] Ice Mountain also serves as a habitat for bald eagles and ravens, which nest in the mountain's Raven Rocks outcrop named for them.[2][14] Other bird species include American goldfinch (Carduelis tristis), great crested flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus), indigo bunting (Passerina cyanea), red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), and American black (Coragyps atratus) and turkey (Cathartes aura) vultures.[13]
Conservation
The Nature Conservancy, with the help of volunteers, has worked to control non-native invasive species to protect and preserve Ice Mountain's rare and native plant species.[2] These invasive species include tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima), garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata), and Japanese stilt grass (Microstegium vimineum).[2] The Nature Conservancy has also partnered with the United States Forest Service to prevent the deaths of eastern hemlocks (Tsuga canadensis) due to the hemlock woolly adelgid.[2] The Nature Conservancy has worked with West Virginia University geologists to preserve and prevent the mountain's ice vents from succumbing to effects associated with climate change.[2][8] The melting of the ice vents warms the soil's temperature which threatens the survival of the boreal species that thrive there.[8] The Nature Conservancy also continues to monitor the natural forest regeneration in the areas of Ice Mountain affected by a 2008 tornado.[2]
Guided hikes on Ice Mountain are offered on North River Mills and Ice Mountain Day in May and by appointment April through November.[12]
Geography and geology
Ice Mountain | |
---|---|
Highest point | |
Ridge-and-valley Appalachians | |
Topo map | USGS Capon Bridge |
Climbing | |
First ascent | unknown |
Easiest route | Hike, Climb |
Ice Mountain is an arc-shaped forested ridge of the
History
Ice Mountain has played a significant role in the history of the North River Mills community.
Raven Rocks | |
---|---|
Highest point | |
Ridge-and-valley Appalachians | |
Topo map | USGS Capon Bridge |
Climbing | |
First ascent | unknown |
Easiest route | Hike, Climb |
Ice Mountain earned its nicknames "Nature's Ice Box" and "Nature's Refrigerator" because of its use by Native Americans and early settlers for storage of perishable food items during the warmer months of the year.[4] During the American Civil War, Ice Mountain was used as a lookout point while the surrounding area served as the scene of numerous small skirmishes.[9][14] Thomas McMackin's Confederate militia company camped alongside North River at the base of Raven Rocks, where a sentinel was placed from daybreak to dusk.[7] Around the late 19th and early 20th centuries, North River Mills residents would celebrate Independence Day and other occasions as late as September by digging up ice from the talus for the making of ice cream and lemonade.[11][14]
The mountain had through generations been owned by the Deaver family, the last of which was Mrs. Virginia Pugh.
West Virginia state historical marker
The text of the historical marker located at the U.S. Route 50/West Virginia Route 29 wye fork between Augusta and Pleasant Dale reads as follows:[14]
Huge natural refrigerator, five miles north along North River, where ice is found for several hundred yards on the hottest summer days. Raven Rock, on North Mountain, offers one of the finest views in West Virginia.
See also
- List of National Natural Landmarks in West Virginia
- North River (Cacapon River)
- North River Mountain
- Climate change in West Virginia
References
- ^ "Ice Mountain Preserve". Protected Planet. IUCN. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Ice Mountain Preserve". The Nature Conservancy. Archived from the original on December 8, 2009. Retrieved November 7, 2009.
- ^
"Ice Mountain". Elevation Query. U.S. Geological Survey. Archivedfrom the original on July 14, 2012. Retrieved November 7, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Andrews, Kevin M. (2003), A Geological and Geophysical Investigation of Ice Mountain Algific Talus, Hampshire County, West Virginia (PDF)
- ^ "National Natural Landmarks (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
Year designated: 2012
- ^ JSTOR 4032173
- ^ a b c d e f Maxwell, Hu; Howard Llewellyn Swisher (1897). History of Hampshire County, West Virginia: From Its Earliest Settlement to the Present. A. B. Boughner.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Ice Mountain Preserve". The Nature Conservancy. Retrieved November 7, 2009.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l
Munske, Roberta R.; Kerns, Wilmer L., eds. (2004). Hampshire County, West Virginia, 1754–2004. OCLC 55983178.
- ^ OCLC 3121468.
- ^ a b c d Kite, J. Steven (2009). Ice Mountain: Ice-Age Ecosystem Refuge in West Virginia (PDF). West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey Colloquium Series. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 23, 2010.
- ^ ]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Bob Pickett's 1998 Field Notes". Bob Pickett. Archived from the original on March 11, 2010. Retrieved November 7, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x "Historic Hampshire: Ice Mountain". HistoricHampshire.org. Archived from the original on April 5, 2009. Retrieved November 7, 2009.
- ^ a b "A visit to West Virginia's Ice Mountain". West Virginia Public Broadcasting. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved November 7, 2009.
- ^ "Old Growth in the East: A Survey" (PDF). Mary Byrd Davis. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 20, 2008. Retrieved November 7, 2009.
- ^ a b "Ice Mountain". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved January 19, 2009.
- ^ "Raven Rocks". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved November 7, 2009.
External links
- "Ice Mountain Preserve". The Nature Conservancy. Archived from the original on December 8, 2009. Retrieved January 19, 2009.
- West Virginia Public Broadcasting: Lab 304: A Trip to Ice Mountain on YouTube
- West Virginia Public Broadcasting: A visit to West Virginia’s Ice MountainMP3
- West Virginia Public Broadcasting: The geological wonder known as Ice MountainMP3
- A Geological and Geophysical Investigation of Ice Mountain Algific Talus, Hampshire County, West Virginia
- Dynamics of Cold Air Flow from Talus at the Ice Mountain Ecological Refugium, West Virginia, USA Archived October 7, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- Historic Hampshire: Aerial View of Ice Mountain
- Ice Mountain Plant List