The White Mountains, New Hampshire

    AMC Back Country Hut Geology

    Designed by Amanda Riley

    Physical Geology GY-130

    March 10, 1999


    Tuckerman's Ravine and
    Mount Washington, Elevation 6,288 feet
    Photos By Jeff Smith


       Ammonoosuc Ravine and Lakes                 Boot Spur Side Of Tuckerman's Ravine

                        of the Clouds Hut
     
     

    The White Mountains, a section of the Appalachian Mountains in North Central New Hampshire, are composed of Jurassic and Cretaceous rocks and the New England igneous succession.


    The Appalachian Mountains stretch over 3,200 km from Alabama to Newfoundland, Canada.  Their origin dates back to the late Precambrian, when a small continental fragment separated the North American and African plate.  In the early cambrian, the plates began to move together, eventually creating a Ordovician plate collision. This classis fold and thrust fault was known as the Taconic Orogeny.  For millions of years, erosion took its toll on the  uplifted mountains, with rivers depositing sediment onto the new ocean floor.  These sediments eventually lithified and formed into a band of primarily gneiss.

    The Super Continent of Pangea formed nearly 375 million years ago during the Devonian.  The mountains of New England again rose and the proto-Atlantic ocean disappeared, in what is called the Acadian orogeny.
     

    Pangea began to drift apart nearly 200 million years ago during the Jurassic period, forming the current Atlantic Ocean.  Volcanoes formed and erupted, spewing igneous rock forms, including intrusive igneous dikes.

    Greenleaf Hut on the side slope of  the igneous intrusion,Mount Lafayette.

    Following the Jurassic period, the White Mountains were still not complete.  It took millions of years of erosion and glacial activity to make the Whites as they stand today.

    The Valley glaciers came during the Pleistocene, 2 million years ago.  As snow piled up and cooling temperatures persisted, glaciers formed and moved south east across the valleys, carving V-shaped valleys, or glacial cirques.  Most cirques are found on the east and north sides due to prevailing wind direction. Some famous glacial cirques in the Whites are Tuckerman's Ravine and Huntington Ravine.
     

    Mount Monroe is a prime example of southeast glacial movement.  The bottom of the ice melted slowly then refroze as it was forced up and over the side of the mountain, pried out weaker rocks and swept them off, thus creating the smooth appearence on the north west side and the jagged on the south east.
     

       Mount Monroe, Elevation 5,384 feet

    During the Wisconsin period of the Pleistocene, 50,000 years ago, continental ice sheets up to one mile think covered the entire vicinity.  The ice advanced from the NorthEast to the SouthWest, sliding up and over the mountains, grinding all in its path.  Evidence of their passing can be seen through Glacial Striae.  Continental glaciers carved out Zealand Notch and valley glaciers formed the Great Gulf on the NorthEast side of Mount Washington.
     

    When  glaciers and ice sheets began to melt about 12,000 years ago, they left behind high amounts of glacial till.
    Most of the White Mountains are covered by 2 feet of glacial till, composing the majority of the soils.  Glaciers also formed erratics, large boulders carried from afar and dropped where the ice stopped advancing.

    Another geological phenomenon, glacial tarns, give Lakes of the Clouds Hut its name. Fields of felsenmeer are also remnants of glacial movement.  the Crawford Path is covered by felsenmeer
    For More on Glaciers, Click Here
     
     


     

    TheAppalachian Mountain Club is a Non-Profit organization dedicated to the wise recreational use and preservation of the outdoors.  It was established in 1878 and the first hut, Madison, was constructed in 1888.


    Madison Hut, Elevation 4,800 Feet
     

    A few main rock forms dominate the White Mountains.  Beginning at Lonesome Lake Hut the dominant  body is Quartz Monzonite, primarily potash feldspar.  It also lies on Conway Granite, a medium grained, pinkish, biotite granite.  Moving onto the Greenleaf area, the monzonite is interrupted by the White Mountain Magma series.  Both Mount Lafayette and Mount Garfield are such intrusions. The Galehead area is formed by the Mount Lafayette granite porphory, a fine grained granite with hexagonal feldspar crystals.
    The Bedrock in Zealand Notch is also Conway granite.  This granite is far more erodable than the gneiss and schists of the Littleton Formation.


    The Pemigewasset Wilderness, bordered by Zealand Notch.

    At Mizpah Hut, a change in structure occurs.  The Eastern Huts lie on gneiss and quartzite of the 350 Million year old Littleton Formation. The gneiss in this area is very hard banded and is a rusty brown to gray color.
    The Upper Littleton Formation, where Madison hut lies, is made mostly of micaceous schist. There is also a large amount of white quartzite in this area.
     


    Mount Washington Warning Sign.

    The Whites are a well kept secret from the rest of the country.However, recent visitation numbers have skyrocketed.
    The White Mountain National Forest of New Hampshire receives more annual visitors thanYellowstone and Yosemite combined. So please, if you do come and visit, tread lightly on the land.  Pack in and pack out, come prepared and most importantly, respect mother nature.  She's a lot tougher than you think....


    Useful Links
     

    To Find More on New Hampshire Geology, Click Here
    To Contact the Appalachian Mountain Club, Click Here
    To Learn about the Appalachian Trial, Click Here
    For More on the White Mountain Region, Click Here
    To Learn About Hiker First Aid and Safety, Click here
    To Learn about Geology of the Appalachian Mountains, Click Here
    For White Mountain Photos, Click Here


    Bibliographic Information

    Siever, Raymond.  Understanding Earth, second edition.  New York:  Frank Press, Carnegie Institution Of Washington,1998. 544-47.

    Slack, Nancy and Allison Bell.  Field Guide to the New England Alpine Summits.  Boston:  Appalachian Mountain Club Books, 1995.  11-17.

    Reifsnyder, William E.  High Huts of the White Mountains.  Boston: Appalachian Mountain Club Books, 1993.  20-28.

    AMC White Mountain Guide, 25th Edition.  Boston:, Appalachian Mountain Club Books, 1992.

    *All other information is available from various links provided, including all photographs.
    Other Sources:
    Randolph Mountain Club
    USGS