Lists of mountains in the
Sierra Nevada
Peak Bagger is a fun website for
exploring mountains.
https://www.peakbagger.com/
Peak Bagger - Sierra Nevada
https://www.peakbagger.com/range.aspx?rid=126
This website shows Nevada summits
over 11,000 feet and their prominence:
https://www.peakbagger.com/list.aspx?lid=21324
The video on our NBMG website
starts the second sentence saying:
"Nevada has more mountain
ranges...than any other state..." so here are the facts behind that
statement.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2MVieeukNg
USGS data from GNIS
USGS data does back up the
statement that Nevada is the most mountainous state in the US, but California
is a very close second.
Search the USGS GNIS (link below)
and enter "Nevada" for "State" and "Range" for
"Class Feature":
https://www.usgs.gov/us-board-on-geographic-names (go to “Domestic Names”)
Scroll down to see the number of
results. Then repeat for California. You can also limit by elevation.
Here are the results in number of
entries for ranges for these states (including all elevations):
370 - CA
345 - NV
325 - AK
170 - NM
154 - AZ
129 - UT
123 - WY
115 - UT
105 - MT
78 - CO
It looks like CA is the winner,
but not really. We need to look at the definition of "range" and
"mountain."
Merriam Webster does not help
much here with this circular reference of hill and mountain.
Definition of mountain (M-W): a landmass that projects
conspicuously above its surroundings and is higher than a hill.
Definition of hill (Entry 1 of 6): a usually rounded natural
elevation of land lower than a mountain.
So here is the definition of mountain
according to the Glossary of Geology by American Geological Institute:
"Any part of the Earth's
crust higher than a hill...Generally, a mountain is considered to project at
least 300 m (1,000 ft) above the surrounding land..."
This chart shows that if we limit
the GNIS results to a minimum of 1000 feet of elevation, Nevada is the winner.
|
State
|
Higher than
500 feet
|
Higher than
750 feet
|
Higher than
1000 feet
|
|
CA
|
347
|
330
|
316
|
|
NV
|
342
|
342
|
342
|
Videos and articles about
Nevada geology:
Article on the micro mountain ranges with information
provided by Jim
Faulds,
https://www.sfgate.com/renotahoe/article/Sierra-Nevada-Lake-Tahoe-Carson-Range-16670116.php
Besides the lists of mountains from the Peak Bagger
website, there are links to information on why the mountains are there and how
they formed. One example is an educational lesson by Rachel
Micander: Plate Tectonics, Faults, and Folding.
https://nbmg.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Cascade/index.html?appid=a19ff0ccadbe4e5e9f24090b1dbd6552
Plate Tectonics, Faults, and
Folding: An Introduction to the Structure of the Earth, Crustal Movement, and
Associated Landforms
https://nbmg.blog/2020/05/27/new-nbmg-story-map/
https://nbmg.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Cascade/index.html?appid=a19ff0ccadbe4e5e9f24090b1dbd6552
Finding Faults—How the Burgeoning
Walker Lane May Split the American West
https://www.unr.edu/nevada-today/stories/walker-lane
The Head-Spinning Geology of the
Sierra Nevada and its Many Micro Mountain Ranges
https://www.sfgate.com/renotahoe/article/Sierra-Nevada-Lake-Tahoe-Carson-Range-16670116.php
Mineral Monday – sign up here for
continuing fun!
https://www.unr.edu/mackay/keck-museum/mineral-monday
Geology of Nevada (article from
NBMG Special Publication 33)
http://www.nbmg.unr.edu/_docs/GeologyOfNevada.pdf
Mineral Monday – fun for kids,
sign up with the W.M. Keck Museum
https://nbmg.blog/2021/03/04/cos-mineral-monday-with-garrett-barmore/
Hiking Valley of Fire State Park:
5 Geological Wonders to See
https://www.actionhub.com/stories/2021/12/22/hiking-valley-of-fire-state-park-5-geological-wonders-to-see/
ROCKHOUNDING IN NEVADA –
Resources for your next trip
https://nbmg.blog/2021/07/02/rockhounding-in-nevada-resources-for-your-next-trip/
A Tesla Co-Founder’s Big Battery
Fix, and the Fault Cleaving Off California
https://nbmg.blog/2021/01/20/bloomberg-news-interview-with-jim-faulds-about-walker-lane-fault-system/
Nevada’s Nightingale Mountains
Documentary Videos, by Carl Adams, featuring Jim Faulds
https://nbmg.blog/2020/09/17/nevadas-nightingale-mountains-documentary-videos-by-carl-adams-featuring-jim-faulds/
Monte Cristo Earthquake Fault
Still Active with 6,500 Aftershocks
https://www.unr.edu/nevada-today/news/2020/monte-cristo-earthquake
Geologist Gets National Attention
for Plate Tectonics Theory
https://www.kolotv.com/content/news/Geologist-gets-national-attention-for-plate-tectonics-theory–560520191.html
Earthquakes, Yucca Mountain and
Why Everyone is Talking about Walker Lane
https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/indy-environment-earthquakes-yucca-mountain-and-why-everyone-is-talking-about-walker-lane
Good books to read about the geology/geography of the Great Basin:
The Broken Land: Adventures in Great Basin Geology, by Frank DeCourten
Roadside Geology of Nevada, by Frank DeCourten and Norma Biggar
Silent Cordilleras: The Mountain Ranges of Nevada, by Alvin R. McLane (Reno: Camp Nevada Monograph #4, 1978). It lists 314 ranges. This book is now out of print but a great book, and you may be able to find a used copy or at the library.
Websites
Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
Click on the “General Geology” and “Science Education” tabs
at the top.
https://nbmg.unr.edu/
You can also explore interesting books on Nevada geology
here:
https://pubs.nbmg.unr.edu/
USGS Educational Resources
https://www.usgs.gov/educational-resources
AGI Earth Science Week
https://www.earthsciweek.org/about-esw
