Selenite Peak
{{Short description|Summit in Pershing County, Nevada, US}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Selenite Peak
| photo = Selenite Peak from Gerlach.jpg
| photo_caption = Northwest aspect, from Gerlach
| elevation_ft = 7115
| elevation_ref = United States Geological Survey topographical map - Empire
| prominence_ft = 1775
| prominence_ref = {{cite peakbagger|pid=77776|name=Selenite Peak, Nevada|accessdate=2022-08-27}}
| range = Selenite Range
Great Basin Ranges
| isolation_mi = 8.11
| isolation_ref = {{cite web|url=https://listsofjohn.com/peak/44190|title=Selenite Peak - 7,115' NV|website=listsofjohn.com|accessdate=2022-08-27}}
| parent_peak = Luxor Peak (7,420 ft)
| etymology = Selenite
| location = Black Rock Desert
| country = United States of America
| state = Nevada
| region = Pershing
| region_type = County
| map = Nevada#USA
| map_caption = Location in Nevada
| map_size = 220
| label_position = right
| coordinates = {{coord|40.6060128|N|119.2660165|W|type:mountain_region:US-NV_scale:100000_source:GNIS|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_ref = {{cite gnis|id=843567|name=Selenite Peak|accessdate=2022-08-27}}
| topo = USGS Empire
| type = Fault block
| rock =
| first_ascent =
| easiest_route =
}}
Selenite Peak is a {{convert|7115|ft|m|adj=mid|elevation}} summit located in Pershing County, Nevada, United States.
Description
Selenite Peak is the fifth-highest peak of the Selenite Range which is a subset of the Great Basin Ranges. This peak is set on land managed by the Bureau of Land Management, and is the highest point of the BLM's Selenite Mountains Wilderness Study Area. It is situated {{convert|6|mi|km|spell=in}} southeast of the town of Gerlach, and {{convert|5|mi|km|spell=in}} northeast of Empire. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises {{convert|3,100|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} above the valley floor in three miles. This landform's toponym has been officially adopted by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.
Climate
Selenite Peak is set in the Black Rock Desert which has hot summers and cold winters.{{cite journal | author = Peel, M. C. |author2=Finlayson, B. L. |author3=McMahon, T. A. | year = 2007 | title = Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification | journal = Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. | volume = 11 | issn = 1027-5606}} The desert is an example of a cold desert climate as the desert's elevation makes temperatures cooler than lower elevation deserts. Due to the high elevation and aridity, temperatures drop sharply after sunset. Summer nights are comfortably cool. Winter highs are generally above freezing, and winter nights are bitterly cold, with temperatures often dropping well below freezing.
Gallery
File:Black rock desert - Selenite Peak.jpg|North aspect
File:Black Rock Desert Overlooking Gerlach, Nevada (50233550422).jpg|Selenite Peak and Gerlach at sunset
File:Black Rock Desert Near Gerlach, Nevada (50233545197).jpg|North aspect
See also
- {{Portal-inline|Mountains|size=tiny}}
- Great Basin
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- Weather forecast: [https://www.yr.no/en/forecast/daily-table/2-5708356/United%20States/Nevada/Pershing/Selenite%20Peak Selenite Peak]
- [https://www.ngs.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/ds_mark.prl?PidBox=LS0680 National Geodetic Survey Data Sheet]
Category:Mountains of Pershing County, Nevada