Silver Peak (Fresno County, California)
{{Short description|Mountain in the American state of California}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Silver Peak
| photo = Silver mtn.jpg
| photo_caption = Southwest aspect
| elevation_ft = 11878
| elevation_ref = R. J. Secor, The High Sierra Peaks, Passes, Trails, 2009, Third Edition, Mountaineers Books, {{ISBN|9781594857386}}, p. 363
| prominence_ft = 1198
| prominence_ref = {{cite peakbagger|pid=13547|name=Silver Peak, California|accessdate=2022-05-27}}
| isolation_mi = 6.14
| isolation_ref = {{cite web|url=https://listsofjohn.com/peak/55967|title=Silver Peak - 11,878' CA|website=listsofjohn.com|accessdate=2022-05-27}}
| parent_peak = Evon Benchmark (12,221 ft)
| listing = Sierra Peaks Section
| etymology =
| map = California#USA
| map_caption = Location in California
| map_size = 260
| label_position = bottom
| location = Fresno County, California, U.S.
| range = Sierra Nevada
| coordinates = {{coord|37.4697026|N|119.0212004|W|type:mountain_region:US-CA_scale:100000_source:GNIS|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_ref = {{cite gnis|id=233139|name=Silver Peak|accessdate=2022-05-27}}
| topo = USGS Sharktooth Peak
| type = Fault block
| rock = Granodiorite
| age = Cretaceous
| first_ascent = <1937
}}
Silver Peak is an {{convert|11,878|ft|meter|adj=mid|-elevation|abbr=off|sp=us}} mountain summit located in the Sierra Nevada mountain range in Fresno County, California, United States. It is set in the John Muir Wilderness, on land managed by Sierra National Forest. Silver Peak ranks as the 455th-highest summit in California, and topographic relief is significant as the east aspect rises nearly {{convert|2,300|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} above Beetlebug Lake in approximately one mile. It is {{convert|6|mi|km|spell=in}} north of Lake Thomas A Edison, and approximately {{convert|12|mi}} south of the community of Mammoth Lakes. The peak is situated on Silver Divide, two miles northwest of Graveyard Peak. The first ascent of the summit was made prior to 1937 by an unknown party.[https://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/climbers_guide/mammoth_pass_to_mono_pass.html George Bloom and John D. Mendenhall, A Climber’s Guide to the High Sierra (1954)] Inclusion on the Sierra Peaks Section peakbagging list generates climbing interest.
Climate
According to the Köppen climate classification system, Silver Peak is located in an alpine climate zone.{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Sierra-Nevada-mountains/Climate |title=Climate of the Sierra Nevada |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica}} Most weather fronts originate in the Pacific Ocean, and travel east toward the Sierra Nevada mountains. As fronts approach, they are forced upward by the peaks (orographic lift), causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall onto the range. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into tributaries of the San Joaquin River.
Etymology
Headwaters of Silver Creek originate from several lakes along the west slope of Silver Peak. Theodore Solomons so named the creek because of its silvery appearance, and the peak he named in association with the creek.[http://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/place_names_of_the_high_sierra/s.html Francis P. Farquhar, Place Names of the High Sierra (1926)] This landform's toponym has been officially adopted by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. There are 10 mountains in California with this same official name, and this one has the highest elevation.
See also
- {{Portal-inline|Mountains|size=tiny}}
- Mount Izaak Walton