Thirteener

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/thirteener

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How high is Thirteener?Exceeding 13,000 feet (3,962.4 meters) above mean sea level
2. What is the location?Predominantly in the Western United States, with Colorado having over 600 peaks
3. What is the prominence standard (contiguous US)?Minimum of 300 feet (91 meters) for independent summits
4. Where are most Thirteeners found?They are mainly in the Western United States, especially Colorado, which has over 600. Other states like Wyoming, California, and Washington also have many.
5. How do climbers decide if a mountain is a real Thirteener?Climbers use topographic prominence and isolation. In the lower 48 states a peak needs at least 300 feet of prominence; in Alaska it needs 500 feet.

Topographic Prominence: A measure of a peak's height relative to the surrounding terrain, indicating its independence.
Isolation: The horizontal distance from a mountain summit to the nearest higher summit.
Peak Bagging: The pursuit of climbing a defined list of mountains, often based on elevation or prominence.
Mean Sea Level: The average height of the sea's surface, used as a reference point for elevation.