Cascade Range

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Mount Rainier

The Cascade Mountains or the Cascade Mountains ( English Cascade Range or Cascades ) is a mountain range of volcanic origin, which runs parallel to the west coast of North America.

  • 4.1 Western levels of vegetation
  • 4.2 East of vegetation
  • 4.3 Fauna

Geography

The Cascade Range is a 1130 km long mountain range that extends from southern British Columbia to northern California, where it merges into the Sierra Nevada. As the southern end of the cascade, the U.S. Geographic Board in 1933, the valley south of Lassen Peak defined and delimited from the Sierra Nevada. As the official northern boundary in Canada is the canyon of the Fraser River and the transition to the Thompson Plateau, in all but some sources still the north of the Fraser extending Coast Mountains with the volcano Mount Garibaldi still counted for Cascade Range. In Canadian maps of part of the Cascade Range in British Columbia is also called the Cascade Mountains.

In the U.S. state of Washington, the Cascade Range is divided into three mountain ranges: the heavily glaciated North Cascades with Mount Baker and the North Cascades National Park, the Central Cascades and the Südkaskaden with Mount Adams, Mount Rainier and Mount St. Helens. However, this classification is not commonly used, often single prominent peak like Mount Baker, smaller mountain ranges or individual passes or rivers for designation of a region are used. The North Cascades are volcanic less marked than the south subsequent Südkaskaden or the High Cascades in Oregon and resemble the landscape rather the Coast Mountains in British Columbia.

South of the Columbia River, the Cascade Range runs parallel to the Oregon Coast Range. The Cascade Range in Oregon itself consists of two north- south mountain ranges running from the broader, older, more eroded, and even to almost 1800 meters high Western Cascades and the dominant, snow -capped peaks of the younger, more eastern peaks of the High Cascades, to which Mount Hood, Mount Jefferson and the Three Sisters belong.

The cascade chain continues up to Northern California and ends south of Lassen Peak at the California Central Valley.

The highest peak is Mount Rainier Cascade in Seattle with 4,394 meters. In the rainy Cascade Range hundreds arise from streams and rivers, including on the west side of the Skagit River and the Willamette River and on the east side of the Yakima River and the Deschutes River. The Columbia River is the only river that breaks through the mountain range and divides it into the Cascade Range in Washington and the Cascade Range of Oregon. Numerous streams and rivers are dammed to generate electricity, to supply drinking water or for irrigation. The largest natural lake in the Cascade Range, the Lake Chelan.

Important summit

Washington:

  • Mount Baker, the highest peak in North Washington
  • Dome peak
  • Glacier Peak
  • Mount Rainier, the highest peak in the Cascade
  • Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980
  • Mount Adams, second highest peak in Washington

Oregon:

California:

Reserves

A large part of the territory of the Cascade Range in the U.S. is one of national forests, including Mount Hood National Forest. The following national parks and national monuments are located in the Cascade Range ( from north to south ):

  • North Cascades National Park
  • Mount Rainier National Park
  • Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument
  • Newberry National Volcanic Monument
  • Crater Lake National Park
  • Cascade - Siskiyou National Monument
  • Lava Beds National Monument
  • Lassen Volcanic National Park

Geology

The Cascade mountain range was formed when the North American collided with the Pacific plate 70 million years ago. In the subduction zone, several high mountains were lifted up in north-south direction, including the Cascade Range.

Especially in the Oregon Cascade Range consists of two parallel mountain ranges of various ages. The older, steep and densely forested western Cascade Range contains the eroded remains of 40-7 million year old volcanoes. This western Cascade Range was developed in three phases:

The last volcanic activity caused by the subduction of the Juan de Fuca plate against the North American Plate. This subduction also leads to the emergence of the eastern, from British Columbia to northern California extending High Cascades, also in three stages:

The volcanoes have been removed already during their growth by glaciation. The oldest volcanoes of the High Cascades are most eroded by glaciers. Some, such as Three Fingered Jack and Mount Washington were nearly leveled by erosion. The more powerful volcanoes such as Mount Rainier, Mount Adams, Mount Hood, Mount Jefferson and South Sister retained despite glaciation of several eruptions volcanic their shape. Ironically, one of the oldest volcanoes of the High Cascades, the 1,4 million year old Black Butte is west of Sisters, eroded little by glaciers, since it lies in the rain and snow shadow of the Cascade Range and therefore accumulate little snow and ice on it and accumulate could.

Many of the volcanoes are considered not yet extinct, but are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire and, as the Mount Hood or Mount Rainier erupt again. The volcanoes promote predominantly gas-rich, acidic and thus tough lavas ( andesite, rhyolite or dacite ), resulting in explosive eruptions and pyroclastic flows. The last and most famous Vulkanausbrauch was the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980.

Climate

The maritime climate of the Pacific Northwest also determines the climate in the Cascade Range. From the Pacific comes through humid westerly winds and cool air to the interior, which must ascend to the mountains and falls as rain as the slope of the rain. On the west side of the Cascade Range of annual precipitation ranges from 1500 to 2500 mm, in some east- west trending valleys up to 3500 mm rainfall reached. On the west side of the Cascade Range in Oregon, almost half of the precipitation in the winter and a quarter each falls in spring and autumn, and very little during the summer months. In winter, the precipitation falls as snow, falling at lower altitudes annually about one to two meters of new snow at altitudes 1200-1600 m 10 to 15 m per year. The Mount Baker and Mount Rainier are among the regions with the highest snowfall in the United States, the record snowfall on Mount Rainier was about 28 m of fresh snow in the winter of 1971 / 72nd Also at Crater Lake snow were measured for over 22 m. With this amount of snow to the mountains above 2400 m throughout the year covered with snow and ice. At this altitude, snow falls in September, from the end of October the snow line drops to 900 m and in the winter to 450 to 600 meters. Although the snow lasts until late in the spring, the highest snow depths are reached in early March. The end of June or early July may still be covered with snow above 1500 m regions. In the rain shadow of the mountains fall, the annual rainfall on the east side of the Cascade Range from 2330 mm at 1206 m high Stampede Pass up to 550 mm in the 585 m high Cle Elum. The seasonal differences in rainfall case are not as pronounced as on the west side. The annual snowfall ranges from about 10 m on the peaks up to about 2 meters to 600 meters.

The average temperatures in January amounted to 4 ° C at lower altitudes to -1 ° C at 1600 meters. As temperatures up to -34 ° C can be achieved in valleys. In July, average temperatures are between 21 ° C and 29 ° C, in the lower elevations in Oregon values ​​of 32 ° C and maximum values ​​are reached up to 40 ° C for up to 20 days in the summer. More cool mountain winds from the afternoon run after sunset to a rapid drop in temperature.

Flora & Fauna

Western levels of vegetation

The precipitation -rich west side of the Cascade mountain range is covered with a dense coniferous forest, which can be divided into three successive vegetation zones:

  • The lowest level is the vegetation to heights ranging from about 900 m Western Hemlock zone, a dense coniferous forest with Douglas fir, giant trees of life and Western American hemlock. In drier layers of this zone can also extend to a height of 1500 m. This vegetation zone has a dense undergrowth of ferns and shrubs such Ordinary Oregon grape, rhododendron, bearberry, superb raspberries and ferns such as ribs and bracken. As a pioneer trees after forest fires or in avalanche corridors grow Western balsam poplar, maple or Oregon red alder.
  • In cooler, higher altitudes up to 1500 meters of coniferous forest is in the Mountain Hemlock Zone on a loosened, subalpine forest of purple -fir and mountain hemlock -, ​​in drier higher altitudes also Nootka false cypress occur.
  • As a final vegetation zone follows the Subalpine Fir zone, a loosened parkland with flower-filled meadows, which extends to the tree line. Predominant trees are balsam fir, Engelmann spruce next, white ethnic pines, Nootka false cypress, and purple -fir.

Eastern vegetation stages

On the precipitation poorer east side of the Cascade Range is dominated by a light forest of yellow pine and coastal pines. In higher, moister layers Douglas fir, western hemlock and American Subalpine fir trees are added, American West into deeper layers of dry juniper. In southwestern Oregon and northern California Colorado pines and firs splendor are added, the reconciliation already in other ecozones.

Above the tree line is the Alpine vegetation zone with mats and cushion plants.

Fauna

The fauna consists of the usual for Western American coniferous forests species community. The mammal species include chipmunks, Golden-mantled ground squirrel, and Douglas squirrels. Larger mammals are elk, mule deer, bobcats, cougars, black or grizzly bear. In the alpine area live in the northern Cascades, hoary marmots and mountain goats in the southern Cascade Yellow-bellied marmots. In the Cascade Range, more than 200 different bird species.

History

Indians lived in the area of the cascade for thousands of years and developed myths and legends over the mountains. After a few of these stories Mount Baker, Mount Jefferson and Mount Shasta were used as refuge with a great flood. Other stories, like that of the Bridge of Gods made ​​from high cascade godlike leaders who made ​​war by throwing himself with fire and stones. Mount St. Helens, with its graceful appearance before the outbreak in 1980, was considered a young beauty to the Mount Hood and Mount Adams fought. The first name of the Cascade Range is derived from the Spanish sailor Manuel Quimper, who mentioned the Mountains 1790 as Sierra Nevada de San Antonio in his notes. In the spring of 1792 George Vancouver sailed down the Puget Sound and the mountains gave their today's English name. The mountain range itself he described but only as "Eastern Snow chain ". 1805 crossed the Lewis and Clark expedition, the Cascades on the Columbia River, the expedition and her following settlers came as the last obstacle to the Cascades Rapids in the Columbia River Gorge, an area with waterfalls, which is now under the reservoir the Bonneville dam is located. Within a short time, the peaks that rose above cases as mountains by the cascades (German, mountains at the falls ' ) denotes which ultimately results in short form the Cascades ( the first recorded use of this name is to be found were in 1826 in the records of the botanist David Douglas ). The Wilkes Expedition named the 1841 Mountain Cascade Range to military reports, the mountains were called the Cascade Mountains. 1845, south of Mount Hood, the first overland route opened up with the Barlow Road through the cascades.

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