Rainmaker Mountain
{{Short description|Mountain in American Samoa}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Rainmaker Mountain
| photo = Fagatogo Dock.jpg
| photo_caption = Rainmaker Mountain from Pago Pago Harbor
| elevation_m = 523
| elevation_ref =
| location = Tutuila Island in American Samoa
| coordinates = {{coord|14|16|35|S|170|39|10|W|type:mountain|display=inline,title}}
| embedded = {{designation list | embed = yes
| designation1 = NNL
| designation1_date = 1972
}}
}}
Rainmaker Mountain (also known as Mount PioaRoss, Jim (2009). Four Winds Nomad. Lulu Press, Inc. Page 80. {{ISBN|9781445239354}}.Swaney, Deanna (1994). Samoa: Western & American Samoa: a Lonely Planet Travel Survival Kit. Lonely Planet Publications. Page 177. {{ISBN|9780864422255}}. and Mount PeivaKrämer, Augustin (1994). The Samoa Islands: Constitution, pedigrees and traditions. University of Hawaiʻi Press. Page 497. ISBN 9780824816339.) is the name of a mountain located near Pago Pago, American Samoa on Tutuila Island. Rainmaker Mountain traps rain clouds and gives Pago Pago the highest annual rainfall of any harbor.Charles Rawlings-Way (2016). Lonely Planet Rarotonga, Samoa & Tonga (Travel Guide). Lonely Planet. Page 147. {{ISBN|9781786572172}}.{{cite web|url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/american-samoa/tutuila/attractions/rainmaker-mountain/a/poi-sig/1456093/362248|author=Lonely Planet|title=Rainmaker Mountain in Tutuila|website=Lonely Planet|access-date=November 28, 2017}}{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.travel_n_5725106.html|website=huffingtonpost.com|title=American Samoa Is The Empty Slice Of Bliss You've Been Craving|access-date=November 28, 2017}} The average annual rainfall on the mountain is around {{convert|200|in|cm}}.Craig, Robert D. (2011). Historical Dictionary of Polynesia. Rowman & Littlefield. Page 19. {{ISBN|9780810867727}}. It has a three-pronged summit. Rainmaker Mountain and its base were designated a National Natural Landmark in 1972 due to the slopes’ tropical vegetation.{{Cite web|url=http://www.lonelyplanet.com/american-samoa/tutuila/attractions/rainmaker-mountain/a/poi-sig/1456093/362248|title = Rainmaker Mountain | American Samoa Attractions}}Swaney, Deanna (1994). Samoa: Western & American Samoa: a Lonely Planet Travel Survival Kit. Lonely Planet Publications. Page 177. {{ISBN|9780864422255}}.
Rainmaker Mountain is one of several giant volcanic mountains that created Tutuila Island. It dominates the scene from nearly every point in Pago Pago Harbor. It comprises three mountain peaks: North Pioa, South Pioa, and Sinapioa. The peaks range in elevation from {{convert|1619|ft}} to {{convert|1718|ft}}. The {{convert|170|acre|adj=on}} designated landmark area occurs above the {{convert|800|acre|adj=on}} contour line. Several endemic species are present only here and on Matafao Peak, the highest point on Tutuila.Goldin, Meryl Rose (2002). Field Guide to the Sāmoan Archipelago: Fish, Wildlife, and Protected Areas. Bess Press. Page 284. {{ISBN|9781573061117}}.
Rainmaker Mountain, famous in Samoan legend and lore, is also geologically important as an example of a volcanic plug (quartz trachyte). The upper slopes are montane rainforest and the crest is montane scrub.http://www.npshistory.com/publications/npsa/feasibility-study.pdf (Page 62) It is a volcanic feature known as a trachyte plug, a volcanic intrusion made of extrusive igneous rocks having alkali feldspar and minor mafic minerals as the main components and a fine-grained, generally porphyritic texture.
A closeup of the mountain is visible up Rainmaker Pass.{{Cite web|url=https://www.afar.com/places/rainmaker-mountain-pago-pago|title = Rainmaker Mountain | Ma'oputasi | American Samoa | AFAR|date = 29 November 2018}} It is located behind the village of Lauli’i on the east side of Pago Pago Bay.Krämer, Augustin (1994). The Samoa Islands: Constitution, pedigrees and traditions. University of Hawaiʻi Press. Page 497. ISBN 9780824816339.
Rainmaker Hotel was a hotel at the port entrance under the mountain.Fodor's Travel Guides (1991). Fodor’s South Pacific. Fodor's Travel Publications. Page 88.
File:The_Rainmaker_from_near_the_former_Rainmaker_Hotel_-_panoramio.jpg.]]
Geology
Rainmaker Mountain is a prominent trachyte dome located near Lauliʻi. It is a quartz trachyte dome measuring approximately 300 meters in width, 720 meters in length, and reaching a height of 515 meters. Its unique structure is a testament to the volcanic history of the Pago Pago area. The mountain is characterized by its composition, which includes rhyolite that is low in quartz, as well as zones in contact with basaltic flows. The dome is primarily formed from basaltic fragments and explosion breccias, with occasional inclusions of trachyte or rhyolite blocks. It is classified as an endogenous dome, which formed through the upward push of magma into a narrow vent roughly 1.25 miles (2 kilometers) in diameter.Keating, Barbara H. and Barrie R. Bolton (2012). Geology and Offshore Mineral Resources of the Central Pacific Basin. Springer New York. Pages 153-154. ISBN 9781461228967.
The volcanic processes that shaped Rainmaker Mountain were intense. The dome rose rapidly, spewing red, white, and black pumice along with biotite-rich cinders. This explosive activity, combined with outbursts of older basaltic materials, created a distinctive montane landscape. The summit features a cratered pumice cone, which formed when pasty lava erupted and partially filled the area. Columnar jointing is a noticeable feature, forming at right angles during the cooling phase of the lava. Rainmaker Mountain's formation is closely tied to the evolutionary stages of the Pago Volcano. The tuffs and breccias seen in other parts of the Pago Pago Harbor suggest that similar processes created other trachyte plugs in the region.Keating, Barbara H. and Barrie R. Bolton (2012). Geology and Offshore Mineral Resources of the Central Pacific Basin. Springer New York. Pages 153-154. ISBN 9781461228967.
Flora
Rainmaker Mountain is home to rare plant species that have been documented only once or twice within the Samoan Islands. These include Zschaemum cf. byrone, a grass species, and Mapania vitiensis, a sedge, both of which were found in the montane scrub habitat of the mountain. Additionally, the fern Dipteris, characterized by leaves that resemble those of Tacca, is another rare species recorded in the region. In the Samoan Islands, Dipteris has been observed exclusively on Rainmaker Mountain and Matafoa Mountain, highlighting the ecological significance of these National Natural Landmarks.Whistler, W. Arthur (April 1980): “The Vegetation of Eastern Samoa”. Pacific Tropical Botanical Garden. Page 129. Retrieved on November 30, 2024, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349619846_The_Vegetation_of_Eastern_SamoaWhistler, W. Arthur (2002). The Samoan Rainforest: A Guide to the Vegetation of the Samoan Archipelago. Isle Botanica. ISBN 9780964542631.
Fauna
Petrels and shearwaters are known to breed predominantly on the higher elevations of Tutuila, with Rainmaker Mountain serving as a particularly significant habitat. These seabirds are rarely observed near the coastline.Watling, Dick and Dieter R. Rinke (2001). A Guide to the Birds of Fiji and Western Polynesia, Including American Samoa, Niue, Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Wallis & Futuna. Environmental Consultants. Page 246. ISBN 9789829047014. Rainmaker Mountain is a nesting site for both the Wedge-tailed Shearwater and the White-throated Storm Petrel. The Wedge-tailed Shearwater, a rare species in American Samoa, likely burrows in the mountain's high-altitude soil. It is also thought to inhabit the cliffs and inaccessible montane scrub of the mountain.Amerson, A. Binion, W. Arthur Whistler, and Terry D. Schwaner (1982). “Wildlife and Wildlife Habitat of American Samoa II: Accounts of Flora and Fauna. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Page 56.Muse, Corey and Shirley (1982). The Birds and Birdlore of Samoa: O Manu Ma Tala'aga o Manu o Samoa. Pioneer Press. Pages 19 and 21. ISBN 9780936546056.
In 2023, a groundbreaking discovery was reported: researchers from Archipelago Research and Conservation (ARC), in collaboration with USFWS, DMWR, and NPS, identified four active burrows of the rare Tahiti Petrel on Rainmaker Mountain and Matafao Mountain. This marked the first confirmed breeding activity of the species on Tutuila in nearly 40 years. Additionally, researchers documented new colonies of the Tropical Shearwater.https://www.talanei.com/2023/07/07/rare-seabird-found-on-tutuila-after-40-years/https://www.samoanews.com/local-news/research-team-discovers-rare-seabird-nests-tutuila
See also
References
- https://web.archive.org/web/20061005005025/http://www2.nature.nps.gov/geology/parks/npsa/index.cfm
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20061007045546/http://www.nature.nps.gov/nnl/Registry/USA_Map/States/AmericanSamoa/nnl/rm/index.cfm National Park Service site for Rainmaker Mountain]
{{American Samoa}}
Category:Mountains of American Samoa
Category:National Natural Landmarks in American Samoa
Category:Volcanoes of American Samoa
Category:Volcanic plugs of the United States
{{AmericanSamoa-geo-stub}}