"Endangered Peaks" and "Extinct Peaks" lists

[Swithich]

So I'm wondering if this is possible. I would like to make a custom peaks lists as the title indicates. That is an "Endangered Peaks" list and an "Extinct Peaks" list. However, I'd like it to be open to additions by anyone. Obviously, I am not going to go around and look at every maps on google maps for mines and major erosion, etc...but I was thinking we could just have an open list with an attached forum topic. People who see an endangered or extinct peak may add peaks as they like, while posting an explantion on the forum as to why it was added (perhaps, we could have a moderator).

Is this possible?

If it is not I may just start a custom list and people can add peaks to the forum topic and I'll add them to the list as they roll in.

The motivation for the lists?

On my first trip into the Colorado Rocky Mountains (before climbing Mt. Elbert), I drove over Fremont pass. As many of you have probably observed, Bartlett Mountain is on the edge of extinction.

The reason for the list?

I'm not suggesting this as an environmental platform, I would like, however, to give people a heads up to mountains on current or future lists, that may disappear in the coming years. So as to give them the proper knowledge to bag a peak before it disappears.

Definitions:

An "Endangered Peak" is a peak that has the potential to lose a significant amount of height or mass that may cause it to fall off of certain lists or eventually disappear (lose enough prominence), to longer be considered a mountain.

An "Extinct Peak" is a peak where this has actually occured.

Note: a peak can be both endanged and extinct at the same time. Say a mountain was reduced from 13500 ft to 12800 ft. It is extinct as a 13er, but is now a 12er, but its 12er status may be endangered.

Note 2: In theory, it is possible for this to go in reverse. Peaks can be created, raised, or have their prominence increased (by say mining a key col, between two peaks).

Note further that volcanoes qualify for these lists, but I'd tend to ignore them as most volcanics eruptions are not predictable and therefore, unless there is significant factors, we cannot know beforehand that they are endangered. We might, however, say that Mt. Saint Helens, the ultra prominence peak, is extinct (or at least non-existant, most likely for the remainder of our lifetime).

We can discuss further. On these subtle points.

Thoughts?

-Swithich

[davebobk47]

Not a bad idea. I am curious about the climbing status of peaks like this. For example, is Bartlett still ranked? As of last update it is, and the summit is a bit of a scramble. Might not be a bad idea to include in the notes section access issues and current status of the peak.

Another peak comes to mind: http://listsofjohn.com/PeakStats/Climbers.php?Id=1491
The last update is from June 2007. Depending on how active the mine is a lot could have changed since then.

[PaulStratmoen]

Not a bad idea. I am curious about the climbing status of peaks like this. For example, is Bartlett still ranked? As of last update it is, and the summit is a bit of a scramble. Might not be a bad idea to include in the notes section access issues and current status of the peak.

Another peak comes to mind: http://listsofjohn.com/PeakStats/Climbers.php?Id=1491
The last update is from June 2007. Depending on how active the mine is a lot could have changed since then.

I last climbed Red Mountain on 7/7/10. At that time, my GPS showed the summit to still be within the 12,080 ft. contour, although a bit further back from where LOJ shows it. Last week, I got a good look at it from Bobtail BM, and it looks like the highpoint is still within the 12,080 ft. contour. If you look at my side-view pictures from 10/12/09, you can see a distinct drop in elevation about halfway across the top. Where that elevation drop shows in the pictures is now at the edge of the crater, so a lot's been taken out in the last couple of years. I also noticed that they've cleared the [previously overgrown and barely discernible] road on the Urad Mine side that leads up to point 11249 on the northeast ridge. So, the destruction may be accelerating.

As far as Bartlett, I got a good look at it from Wheeler Peak last year, and they were working the top at that time. A lot of the top has been shaved smooth, and I'd guess that the high point is no longer a scramble. Dodging the miners and their equipment might be a scramble, though.

[TWorth]

A few years ago I had a file with summits where the top was mined away. Was obtained as part of the steepness calculations I run for this site. Peaks with the tops removed would get absurdly high steepness ratings, and end up at the top of the lists as outliers.

It wasn't a huge number of peaks nationwide, maybe 30-40. Most in West Virginia and Kentucky. Some in Tennessee, Pennsylvania. Not too many in the west, those two and maybe a couple more in Colorado, a few in Utah, and others scattered. Unlike Red and Bartlett, the rest were mostly just low unnamed humps which no one has ever heard of or would want to visit.

No idea where the file is. Not on my current laptop. This was like 3-4 years ago. If I find it, I'll post it. I probably just deleted the file. It was a pretty dull set of peaks.

John could probably run a query checking for the word "mine" in the notes field.....if I recall those summits when found, or at least some of them, were marked as "mined away".

[Swithich]

No Agua Peak North (NM) is being mined away too. I don't know the status on its height.

Do miners work on Sundays?...

-Swithich

[davebobk47]

drdickie was just down there and climbed at least one of the peaks in the group. He should be able to give you some details on the area.

Its been a few months since I've driven by but I'm not sure any of the summits in the area have been altered...yet.

[RyanSchilling]

As far as Bartlett, I got a good look at it from Wheeler Peak last year, and they were working the top at that time. A lot of the top has been shaved smooth, and I'd guess that the high point is no longer a scramble. Dodging the miners and their equipment might be a scramble, though.

The scrambly highpoint was itself an artifact of mining, though, wasn't it? It is crazy to think that it's all gone!

[Swithich]

I have posted the lists. I will continue to update these lists as people add peaks to the forum topic.

-Swithich

[Al Sandorff]

Washington Hill and 5641 in Storey County, NV., have quarries working away at both of them, but they both seemed close to their listed elevations on my GPS to still be ranked when I visited them.

Logtown Ridge in El Dorado County, CA, has had its top turned into a crater what looks like a water tank in its place, but the perimeter rim still seemed high enough to keep it ranked for those who feel like dealing with the barbed wire to get to it.

Al

[davebobk47]

You could even add Floyd Benchmark in Clear Creek Co. The summit area has not been altered but in a few years who knows how big the quarry will get.

http://listsofjohn.com/PeakStats/Climbers.php?Id=5019

[John Kirk]

Here's a list of 43 known summits altered by mining.

mining.xls

(44 KiB) Downloaded 2564 times

Not sure if Lava Dome qualifies as what you're looking for, but see this thread if you haven't already

[hikenewhampshire]

Mt Finish in NH is on the way to being finished
http://listsofjohn.com/PeakStats/Climbers.php?Id=102067

Note that the cleared area seems to have encompassed the entire highest contour, the airway beacon has been moved to the bump to the R
http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=43.61439,-72 ... River%20VT

I read somewhere that this is basalt being used as a chemical but can't prove it

[Swithich]

Sorry left for three months to study for qualifying exams. I'll get back to updating these lists.

-Swithich

[Brian Kalet]

You can add Malpie Mountain to the list of Endangered Peaks.

[tracyfoutz]

This peak - Peak 2700: https://listsofjohn.com/peak/48517 has been mined since at least the early 1950's. The 15-minute USGS quad for this area dated 1952 shows an an existing quarry on the site. It also shows a spot elevation of 2713 for this peak. It is listed as a soft-ranked peak here on LoJ (280 feet of rise). As of late 2022, the mountain had been mined away to where the highest point moved to coordinates N36.36109 degrees & W114.91848 degrees (approx. 375-400 feet to the east-northeast). Elevation readings at three nearby known elevation points were confirmed to be within +/-3 feet of what what the contours show on the 7.5-minute USGS topo sheet. The location of the latest high-point had an elevation reading of 2617 which in sync with the most recent aerial photo and the contours on the USGS topo map.

Given the consistency of the 3 other known elevation point readings that were taken within 30-60 minutes of the high-point elevation reading, 2617 feet seems to be a reasonably accurate figure. It is only 3 feet off of the interpolated elevation of 2620 feet one would get if using the location coordinates which lie in between the 2600-foot and 2640-foot contours.

It is interesting to note that while the overall mountain is approximately 80-100 feet lower, the ground area directly below where the original peak was located is currently approximately 150-175 feet lower.