Fifes Peaks are named for Thomas X. Fife, a 19th-century homesteader and miner. The Fife brothers Tom, Joseph, and Robert, and their father John, emigrants from Fifeshire Scotland, are credited with finding the first quartz gold mine in 1888, in the Gold Hill area near Chinook Pass. Tom homesteaded at Goose Prairie in the Bumping Lake area and willed the land to the Boy Scouts, who created Camp Fife, the Scout Camp at Goose Prairie.
Fifes Peaks are three eroded volcanic remnants of a large, low-profile caldera that exploded 25 million years ago. The peaks are composed of columnar andesite lava. The highest of the three peaks is the west peak at 6,880+ feet elevation, and is the easiest to scramble to the summit. The middle, or central, peak is 6,793 feet. Smallest is the east peak at 6,375 feet, but it's the most difficult climb.
The Fifes Peaks Formation is primarily composed of andesite and basalt lava that erupted directly on top of the Stevens Ridge Formation. Rather than erupting bits of ash and pumice, the volcanoes responsible for the Fifes Peaks Formation produced streams of lava that built low, overlapping volcanic cones. Up to 2,400 feet (730 m) of interfingering lava flows covered the area, although erosion has removed all but a small remnant of this lava field from the park. The largest remnant of the Fifes Peaks Formation underlies much of the rugged area near Mowich Lake, northwest of Mount Rainier.
Following the eruptions of Fifes Peaks lava in the early Miocene period, the area was once again compressed and folded. The folds that formed after deposition of the Ohanapecosh Formation became tighter. Faults broke the strata of the Ohanapecosh, Stevens Ridge, and Fifes Peaks Formations as the rocks shifted to relieve the compressive stresses.
Lava flows form at least 80 percent of the Fifes Peaks Formation. Most Fifes Peaks flows are from 50 to 150 feet thick, but one widespread basal flow, 500 feet thick, forms a prominent scarp on the southeast face of Mother Mountain and extends southeastward, across Cataract Creek, until it disappears beneath the Mount Rainier lavas.
To log this earthcache, please do as follows:
Go to the given coordinates and observe the mountain from this vantage point to get the answers to the questions. Refer to the written materials on this cache page to help as needed.
- Please park only in designated parking spots and do not leave the trails/sidewalks during your explorations.
- If the mountain is wrapped in a cloud, the nearby information panels will assist in answering the questions.
Questions to answer - preferably through the message center on my account:
- What is the elevation of Fifes Peak?
- Why are there vertical, columnar formations here?
- Building from your last answer; what, in your opinion, happened to the material surrounding the columns?
- What are the columns made from?
Extra credit: (You do not have to answer this question to claim the earthcache, but give it a try.)
A quick definition of prominence is: Something prominent, especially an area of land raised above its surroundings. Mountains are generally measured by their elevation above sea level, or alternately by their prominence - that is, how high the peak is compared to the land around it. For example, Mount Rainier looks taller than other mountains because the surrounding lands are relatively low.
5. In your estimate, how high above the surrounding land does the peak rise?
To get credit for this earthcache, send the answers to the questions to me. Log your find immediately - do not wait for my response. Do NOT put the answers in your log. I will contact you promptly with approval or let you know if I need additional information from you. I may also send additional information to you if appropriate. If answers are not received in a timely manner, found logs will be deleted. (My responses to you will be sent through the message center.)
Sources: Geological Survey Professional Paper 444: Geology of Mount Rainier National Park Washington, and various internet articles.