Beartooth Mountains
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Beartooth Mountains | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Country | United States |
| State | Montana |
| Part of | Rocky Mountains |
| Highest point | Granite Peak |
| - coordinates | |
| - elevation | 12,799 ft (3,901 m) |
The Beartooth Mountains are located in south central Montana, U.S. and are part of the 900,000 acre (3,600 km²) Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, within Custer and Gallatin National Forests. The Beartooths are home to the largest contiguous land area in the U.S. of over 10,000 feet (3048 m), and is the location of Granite Peak, which at 12,799 feet (3901 m) is the highest point in the state of Montana. The mountains are just north of Yellowstone National Park and are part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The mountains are traversed by road via the Beartooth Highway (U.S. 212) with the highest elevation at Beartooth Pass (10,947 ft, 3,336 m). The name of the mountain range is attributed to a rugged peak found in the range, Beartooth Peak, that has the appearance of a bear's tooth.
The remoteness of the region contributed to their obscurity until the 1870s. The Crow tribe of Native Americans utilized the valleys of the mountains for hunting game animals and for winter shelter from the harsh winds of the plains. Though trappers entered the region in the 1830s, formal exploration by the U.S. Government did not occur until 1878. Since then, almost 400 species of plants have been discovered and the Beartooths are considered to be the most biologically unique mountain range in North America. The region is also one of the few remaining with sizable populations of Grizzly bears outside of Alaska and Canada. Black bears, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, elk, moose, wolverine, mountain lion and lynx are also found here.
Since 2000 the wolf has also reappeared in the region, probably migrating out of Yellowstone National Park. Primarily plants and grasses exist above the 9,000 foot (2,700 m) timberline and spruce, fir, whitebark pine and lodgepole pine are found below.
The Beartooth mountains are composed of Precambrian granite and crystalline metamorphic rocks dated at approximately 4 billion years old, making these rocks some of the oldest on Earth. The mountains are also the location of the largest known deposits of platinum and chrome and the second largest deposits of nickel found in the U.S. Huge expansive plateaus are found at altitudes in excess of 10,000 feet (3048 m) with over 25 peaks exceeding 12,000 feet (3658 m). The mountains have over 300 pristine lakes and some waterfalls in excess of 300 feet (91 m). The highest alpine areas are easily subject to resource damage due to human encroachment which can take decades or more to recover, due to the short 6 to 12 week growing season. Winters are severe with heavy snow and incessant winds. Approximately 25 small glaciers exist in the Beartooths with Grasshopper Glacier being one of the more unique.
[edit] External links
- U.S. Forest Service. Beartooth Ranger District. Custer National Forest. Retrieved on July 11, 2006.
- Wilderness.net. Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness. The National Wilderness Preservation System. Retrieved on July 11, 2006.
