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| Mount Nittany | |
|---|---|
 Southern terminus of Mount Nittany ridge, looking east from theBryce Jordan Center nearState College, Pennsylvania | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 2,077 ft (633 m) |
| Coordinates | 40°48′41″N77°48′25″W / 40.811502°N 77.807008°W /40.811502; -77.807008 |
| Geography | |
 | |
| Location | Centre County, Pennsylvania |
| Parent range | Appalachian Mountains |
| Topo map | USGS State College Quadrangle |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | White Trail |
Nittany Mountain, commonly known asMount Nittany, is a prominent geographic feature inCentre County, Pennsylvania. The mount is not a mountain but is part of a ridge that separatesNittany Valley fromPenns Valley, with the enclosed Sugar Valley between them. OnUSGStopographic maps, Nittany Mount is generally too small to be considered a mountain and is shown as the lower ridge line that runs below Big Mountain on the west and Big Kettle Mountain on the east side, coming together to form a single ridge line at the southern terminus. This nomenclature is not always consistently applied to the same geologic formation, and there is a shorter Nittany Mountain ridge shown above the Sugar Valley as well.
Penn State University lies at the foot of Mount Nittany; the athletic teams and the mascot of the school, theNittany Lion, are named for the mountain, as are Mount Nittany Elementary and Mount Nittany Middle School.[1]
The word "Nittany" is derived from theAlgonquian wordNit-A-Nee meaning "single mountain".[citation needed] According toPenn State folklore, Nit-A-Nee is also the name of a Native American maiden whose actions caused Mount Nittany to be formed.[citation needed] The original inhabitants of the area used Nit-A-Nee to describe the mountain,[citation needed] and it likely became commonly known as "Nittany" by the firstEuropeans to settle the area in the 18th century. The word "Nittany" was already in use by the time Pennsylvania State University was founded. Some sources cite the word Nit-A-Nee as meaning "barrier against the wind".[2]
In 1945, the landowners of Mount Nittany were preparing to sell the mountain, allegedly to usetimber rights. The alumni of the Lion's Paw Senior Society who heard of this bought an option to buy the mountain.[citation needed]It took the Lion's Paw alumni until May 1946 to raise the money needed to make the purchase.[citation needed] In 1981, Lion's Paw established the Mount Nittany Conservancy, an organization intended to raise money from the general public in addition to the money raised by Lion's Paw members.[citation needed] Since its establishment, the Mount Nittany Conservancy has purchased hundreds of additional acres on Mount Nittany.
In 2013,Conserving Mount Nittany: A Dynamic Environmentalism, a book by Tom Shakely on the history of Mount Nittany and local conservation efforts, was published, incorporating histories of the mountain and valley.[3][4]
Mount Nittany is part of theRidge and Valley province of theAppalachian Mountains.[5] The neighboringBald Eagle,Tussey and Shriner mountains are part of the same sedimentary formation, consisting of, from youngest to oldest,Tuscarora Formationquartzite,Juniata Formationshale, andBald Eagle Formationsandstone. These layers were folded during theAppalachian orogeny.
Nittany Mountain is part of asynclinal depression of theanticlinalNittany Arch, which originally formed a huge mountain, since eroded, that towered over what is now Nittany Valley. The present Nittany and Big Mountain ridges were originally a valley in this ancient mountain. The Nittany ridge line is topped by the erosion-resistant Bald Eagle Sandstone. The more durable Tuscarora Quartzite formations are found exposed on the higher ridges of the northern end of the same syncline: Big Mountain to "Riansares Mountain" and Big Kettle Mountain to "The Winehead". The more easily eroded Juniata Shale forms the depression between the lower and higher ridges, and the drainage from this area cut small ravines in the Nittany ridge line. The same three rock layers are exposed in the neighboring ridges.
Beneath the sedimentary layers is a formation ofdolomite andlimestone. The Bald Eagle Sandstone topping Mount Nittany prevents the erosion of the underlying limestone to the same level as the surrounding limestone valleys.[citation needed]
