Mount Darwin (California)
| Mount Darwin | |
|---|---|
 Mount Darwin above Midnight Lake. |
|
| Elevation | 13,837 ft (4,218 m) [1][2] |
| Prominence | 1,871 ft (570 m) [2] |
| Parent peak | Mount Agassiz[3] |
| Listing | SPS Emblem peak[4] |
| Location | |
| Location | Fresno and Inyo counties, California |
| Range | Sierra Nevada, Evolution region |
| Coordinates | 37°10′01″N 118°40′17″W / 37.1668799°N 118.6714993°WCoordinates: 37°10′01″N 118°40′17″W / 37.1668799°N 118.6714993°W[5] |
| Topo map | USGS Mount Darwin |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | 1908 by Ernest Clayton Andrews and Willard D. Johnson |
| Easiest route | West Wall, scramble with exposure, class 3 |
Mount Darwin is a flat-topped mountain in the Sierra Nevada, on the border of between Fresno and Inyo counties in the Kings Canyon National Park and the Inyo National Forest of California. Two Australian geologists, Ernest Clayton Andrews and Willard D. Johnson, made the first recorded ascent on August 12, 1908.
The modern name of the mountain was given to it in 1895 by Theodore S. Solomons and E. C. Bonner of the United States Geological Survey as part of a series of mountains named for the six major exponents of the theory of evolution. Mount Darwin is named for the naturalist, Charles Darwin. Other nearby mountains in the Evolution Group include Mount Mendel, Mount Fiske, Mount Haeckel, Mount Huxley, Mount Spencer, and Mount Wallace. The area around the peaks, known as the Evolution Region, includes Evolution Basin and Evolution Valley.[6]
Nearby landmarks include Darwin Glacier and Darwin Canyon.
A similar exercise in naming mountains after naturalists and other late nineteenth century proponents of evolution theory was carried out at the West Coast Range in Tasmania, Australia. In contrast, Mount Darwin in Tierra del Fuego was given its name during the voyage of the Beagle by captain Robert FitzRoy to celebrate Darwin's 25th birthday on 12 February 1834.
[edit] See also
- California 4000 meter peaks
- Mountain peaks of California
- Mountain peaks of North America
- Mountain peaks of the United States
- Thirteener
[edit] References
- ^ The NGVD 29 elevation of 13,831 feet was converted using VERTCON to the NAVD 88 elevation of 13,837 feet.
- ^ a b "Mount Darwin, California". Peakbagger.com. http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=2691. Retrieved 2009-08-11.
- ^ "Mount Darwin". LoJ.com. http://listsofjohn.com/PeakStats/Climbers.php?Id=32260. Retrieved 2011-05-31.
- ^ "Sierra Peaks Section List". Angeles Chapter, Sierra Club. http://angeles.sierraclub.org/sps/spslist.pdf. Retrieved 2008-09-28.
- ^ "Mount Darwin". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:259069. Retrieved 2009-08-11.
- ^ Browning, Peter (1986). Place Names of the Sierra Nevada. Berkley: Wilderness Press. p. 67. ISBN 0899971199.
[edit] External links
- "Mount Darwin". SummitPost.org. http://www.summitpost.org/page/150490. Retrieved 2011-05-31.
