View source for Rainbow Mountain (Alaska)

{{Short description|Mountain in Alaska, United States}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Rainbow Mountain
| photo = Rainbow Mountain, Alaska.jpg
| photo_caption = West aspect
| elevation_ft = 6841
| elevation_ref =<ref name="gnis"/>
| prominence_ft = 700.
| prominence_ref =<ref name="listsofjohn">{{cite web|url=https://listsofjohn.com/peak/190698|title=Rainbow Mountain - 6,750' AK|website=listsofjohn.com|access-date=2024-04-21}}</ref>
| isolation_mi = 2.37
| isolation_ref =<ref name="listsofjohn"/>
| parent_peak =
| etymology =
| country = United States
| state = [[Alaska]]
| region = [[Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska|Southeast Fairbanks]]<ref name="gnis"/>
| region_type = Census Area
| range = [[Alaska Range]]<br />[[Delta Mountains]]<ref name=peakbagger>{{cite peakbagger|pid=134300|name=Rainbow Mountain, Alaska|access-date=2024-04-21}}</ref>
| map = USA Alaska
| label_position = left
| map_caption = Location in Alaska
| mapframe = yes
| mapframe-zoom = 8
| mapframe-caption = Interactive map of Rainbow Mountain
| coordinates = {{coord|63.3090952|N|145.6326361|W|type:mountain_region:US-WY_scale:100000|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_ref =<ref name="gnis">{{cite gnis|id=1408505|name=Rainbow Mountain|access-date=2024-04-21}}</ref>
| topo = [[United States Geological Survey|USGS]] ''Mount Hayes B-4''
| age = [[Paleozoic]]<ref name=ADN/>
| rock =
| first_ascent =
| easiest_route =
}}
'''Rainbow Mountain''' is a {{convert|6841|ft|meter|adj=mid|-elevation|abbr=off|sp=us}} [[summit]] in [[Alaska]], United States.
==Description==
Rainbow Mountain is located {{convert|20|mi|km}} northwest of [[Paxson, Alaska|Paxson]] in the [[Delta Mountains]] which are a subrange of the [[Alaska Range]].<ref name=peakbagger/> It is the highest point of Rainbow Ridge.<ref name="gnis"/> Precipitation runoff and glacial meltwater from the mountain's slopes drains into tributaries of the [[Delta River]]. [[Topographic relief]] is significant as the summit rises {{convert|4200.|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} above the [[Richardson Highway]] and Phelan Creek in 1.5&nbsp;mile (2.4&nbsp;km), and {{convert|3200.|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} above the Canwell Glacier in two&nbsp;miles (3.2&nbsp;km). The Richardson Highway traverses the western base of Rainbow Ridge for approximately three miles, with the mountain's summit about midway along the ridge.<ref name=ADN>[https://www.adn.com/outdoors-adventure/2019/05/06/one-of-alaskas-most-scenic-drives-skirts-rainbow-mountain-in-alaskas-interior/ ''One of Alaska's Most Scenic Drives Skirts Rainbow Mountain in Alaska's Interior''], John Schandelmeier, Anchorage Daily News, May 6, 2019.</ref> [[Dall sheep]] and [[hoary marmot]] on the ridge can be seen from the highway.<ref name=ADN/>
The mountain is so named because of multi-colored talus which slides down its face, and the descriptive toponym has been officially adopted by the [[United States Board on Geographic Names]].<ref name="gnis"/> Yellow, pink, and green colors are from volcanic eruptions 300 to 350 million years ago, whereas brown and gray colors are from sandstone, siltstone and limestone layers. Minerals present include [[chrysocolla]], [[serpentinite]], [[hematite]], [[chromite]], [[quartz]], [[calcite]], [[pyrite]], and [[malachite]].<ref name=Hodges/> Rainbow Ridge is an excellent site for collecting fossils of [[trilobite]]s which are about 315 million years old.<ref name=Hodges>Montana Hodges, ''Rockhounding Alaska: A Guide to 75 of the State's Best Rockhounding Sites'', 2010, Morris Book Publishing, p. 194, 197.</ref>
==Climate==
According to the [[Köppen climate classification]] system, Rainbow Mountain is located in a [[tundra climate]] zone with cold, snowy winters, and cool summers.<ref name=Peel>{{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}}</ref> Weather systems are forced upwards by the Delta Mountains ([[orographic lift]]), causing heavy precipitation in the form of rainfall and snowfall. Winter temperatures can drop below 0&nbsp;°F with wind chill factors below −10&nbsp;°F. This climate supports the Canwell Glacier and McCallum Glacier surrounding the peak.
==Gallery==
<div style="max-width: 450px;">
<gallery mode=slideshow>
File:Rainbow Mountain - Rainbow Ridge.jpg|Rainbow Mountain/Rainbow Ridge from Richardson Highway
File:Rainbow Ridge in Alaska.jpg|Rainbow Ridge
</gallery>
</div>
==See also==
*[[Geography of Alaska]]
*{{Portal-inline|Mountains|size=tiny}}
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
* Rainbow Mountain: [https://www.yr.no/en/forecast/daily-table/2-5872418/United%20States/Alaska/Southeast%20Fairbanks/Rainbow%20Mountain weather forecast]
{{Geographic Location 2
| Center    = Rainbow Mountain
| North     = Canwell Glacier
| Northeast = Canwell Glacier
| East      = [[Institute Peak]]
| Southeast = McCallum Glacier
| South     = Rainbow Ridge
| Southwest = Phelan Creek
| West      = [[Richardson Highway]]
| Northwest = [[Delta River]]
}}
{{Portal bar|Mountains|Geography|Alaska}}
[[Category:Mountains of Alaska]]
[[Category:Alaska Range]]
[[Category:North American 2000 m summits]]
[[Category:Landforms of Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska]]
[[Category:Mountains of Unorganized Borough, Alaska]]