Argon Tower

Argon Tower
Argon Tower
	Southeast aspect
Highest point
Elevation	4,750 ft (1,448 m)
Prominence	230 ft (70 m)
Parent peak	The Organ (4,735 ft)
Isolation	0.28 mi (0.45 km)
Coordinates	38°37′59″N109°36′07″W / 38.633081°N 109.602056°W
Geography
	Argon Tower Location in Utah Argon Tower Argon Tower (the United States)
Country	United States
State	Utah
County	Grand
Protected area	Arches National Park
Parent range	Colorado Plateau
Topo map	USGS The Windows Section
Geology
Rock age	Jurassic
Rock type	Entrada Sandstone
Climbing
First ascent	1964 by Layton Kor
Easiest route	class 5.9 climbing

Last updated January 06, 2025

Argon Tower is a 4,750-foot-elevation (1,448-meter) pillar in Grand County, Utah. It is located within Arches National Park and like many of the rock formations in the park, Argon Tower is composed of Entrada Sandstone. The tower is 260 feet tall,^[4] and topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 450 feet (137 meters) vertically above the Park Avenue Trail in 400 feet (122 meters) laterally. Precipitation runoff from Argon Tower drains to the nearby Colorado River via Courthouse Wash. This landform was shown briefly in the opening scene credits of the 1989 American action-adventure film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade .

Climbing

The first ascent of the summit was made January 17, 1964, by Layton Kor, Bob Bradley, and Charlie Kemp via the class 5.9 North Face.^[5]^[6] Layton Kor named this tower.^[7]

Other rock-climbing routes on Argon Tower:

North Northeast Arête - class 5.11 ^[8]
West Face - class 5.11 - John Pease, Steve Cheyney - (1972)^[9]

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Argon Tower is located in a cold semi-arid climate zone with cold winters and hot summers.^[10] Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to experience Arches National Park, when highs average 60 to 80 °F (15 to 25 °C) and lows average 30 to 50 °F (0 to 10 °C). Summer temperatures often exceed 100 °F (40 °C). Winters are cold, with highs averaging 30 to 50 °F (0 to 10 °C), and lows averaging 0 to 20 °F (−20 to −5 °C). As part of a high desert region, it can experience wide daily temperature fluctuations. The park receives an average of less than 10 inches (25 cm) of rain annually.

Gallery

Northeast aspect
Argon Tower to left, Tower of Babel (right)
Argon Tower left of center
Argon Tower centered
Argon Tower centered, south aspect, from Park Avenue Overlook
Argon Tower centered in the distance
Argon Tower (left), Three Gossips (right)
Argon Tower (left), Three Gossips, The Organ (right)
Argon Tower (left), The Organ (right). Layton Kor named Argon Tower, but later in life couldn't recall the reason why he chose that name. Perhaps it was a play on words: Argon ← Organ
Three Gossips (centered) and Argon Tower (left) viewed from the north
Southeast aspect
Jello Tower (lower left) and Argon Tower (upper right)
Argon Tower (left), Tower of Babel (centered), The Candelabrum (right)
Argon to right of center, viewed from north

Related Research Articles

The Titan is a 6,112-foot-elevation (1,863-meter) pillar in Grand County, Utah, United States.

Monster Tower is a 600-foot (180-meter) tall sandstone tower located in the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park, in San Juan County, Utah, United States.

Red Arch Mountain is a 5,930-foot (1,810 m) elevation Navajo Sandstone summit located in Zion National Park, in Washington County of southwest Utah, United States.

Kissing Couple is a 5,815-foot-elevation (1,772-meter) sandstone pillar located in Colorado National Monument, in Mesa County of western Colorado, United States. This iconic 400-foot-high tower is situated on the west side of Monument Canyon, 1.5 mile southeast of the monument's visitor center, and nine miles (14 km) west of the community of Grand Junction. It is also a half-mile south-southeast of another popular climbing destination, Independence Monument, and both can be seen from viewpoints along Rim Rock Drive. It is so named because it resembles an embracing couple. This geographical feature's name was officially adopted in 1982 by the United States Board on Geographic Names. Older USGS maps have the feature's name misplaced by about one-half mile to the southeast. The first ascent of the summit was made May 4, 1960, by Layton Kor, Harvey Carter, and John Auld via the five pitch, class 5.11a route named Long Dong Wall. The first free ascent was made in 1977 by Andy Petefish, Tom Stubbs, and Jim Pearson. Some climbers alternatively refer to Kissing Couple as "Bell Tower."

The Three Gossips is a 4,700-foot-elevation (1,433-meter) sandstone pillar in Grand County, Utah, United States.

Mitchell Mesa is a 6,586-foot-elevation (2,007-meter) summit in Navajo County, Arizona, United States.

Castle Rock is a 6,340-foot-elevation (1,932-meter) summit in San Juan County, Utah, United States.

Kingfisher Tower is a 6,794-foot-elevation (2,071-meter) pillar in Grand County, Utah, United States.

Three Penguins is a 4,488-foot-elevation (1,368-meter) summit in Grand County, Utah, United States.

Tower of Babel is a 4,655-foot-elevation (1,419-meter) summit in Grand County, Utah. It is located within Arches National Park and like many of the rock formations in the park, it is composed of Entrada Sandstone. The tower is 500 feet tall, and topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 500 feet vertically above the main park road in approximately 200 feet laterally. Precipitation runoff from Tower of Babel drains to the nearby Colorado River via Courthouse Wash. This landform's descriptive toponym has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names. This landform was shown briefly in the opening scene of the 1989 American action-adventure film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

The Organ is a 4,735-foot-elevation (1,443-meter) pillar in Grand County, Utah, United States

Queen Nefertiti Rock is a 4,741-foot-elevation (1,445-meter) pillar in Grand County, Utah. The feature is located within Arches National Park and like many of the rock formations in the park, Queen Nefertiti Rock is composed of Entrada Sandstone. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 400 feet above the Park Avenue Trail in 0.1 mile. Precipitation runoff from Queen Nefertiti Rock drains to the nearby Colorado River via Courthouse Wash. This landform's descriptive toponym has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names, and is so named because the feature resembles the head of Queen Nefertiti.

Cottontail Tower is a 5,980-foot-elevation (1,823-meter) pillar in Grand County, Utah, United States.

Ancient Art is a 5,420-foot-elevation (1,652-meter) pillar in Grand County, Utah, United States.

Echo Tower is a 5,784-foot-elevation (1,763-meter) pillar in Grand County, Utah, United States.

Sheep Rock is a 4,564-foot-elevation (1,391-meter) pillar in Grand County, Utah. It is located within Arches National Park and like many of the rock formations in the park, it is composed of Entrada Sandstone, specifically the Slick Rock Member overlaying the Dewey Bridge Member. The tower is 440 feet tall, and is approximately 0.15 mile (0.24 km) from the main park road. Sheep Rock is believed to be a remnant abutment of an ancient fallen arch. Precipitation runoff from Sheep Rock drains to the nearby Colorado River via Courthouse Wash. This landform's descriptive toponym has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names.

Queen Victoria Rock is a 4,780-foot-elevation (1,457-meter) pillar in Grand County, Utah, United States.

Jello Tower is a 4,510-foot-elevation (1,375-meter) pillar in Grand County, Utah, United States.

The Candelabrum is a 4,700-foot-elevation (1,433-meter) pillar in Grand County, Utah, United States.

Mars Hotel is a 4,635-foot-elevation (1,413-meter) summit in Grand County, Utah, United States.

References

1 2 3 4 "Argon Tower, Utah". Peakbagger.com.
1 2 3 "Argon Tower - 4,700' UT". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
↑ The American Alpine Journal 1989, The Mountaineers Books, 1997, ISBN 9780930410391, p. 156.
↑ Stewart M. Green, Rock Climbing Utah, Rowman & Littlefield, 2012, ISBN 9780762792849, p. 20.
↑ First Ascent Timeline, deserttowersbook.com, Retrieved 2024-09-06.
↑ Eric Bjørnstad, Desert Rock: Rock Climbs in the National Parks, Chockstone Press, 1996, ISBN 9781575400105.
↑ Katy Cassidy, Canyon Country Climbs, Pruett Publishing Company, 1989, ISBN 9780871087669, p. 35.
↑ North Northeast, Mountain Project, Retrieved 2024-09-06.
↑ West Face, Mountain Project, Retrieved 2024-09-06.
↑ Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L. & McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification" (PDF). Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11 (5): 1633–1644. Bibcode:2007HESS...11.1633P. doi: 10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007 . ISSN 1027-5606. S2CID 9654551.

External links

Argon Tower Rock Climbing: Mountainproject.com
Arches National Park: National Park Service

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
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[pb-1] 1 2 3 4 "Argon Tower, Utah". Peakbagger.com.

[listsofjohn-2] 1 2 3 "Argon Tower - 4,700' UT". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved September 6, 2024.

[3] The American Alpine Journal 1989, The Mountaineers Books, 1997, ISBN 9780930410391, p. 156.

[4] Stewart M. Green, Rock Climbing Utah, Rowman & Littlefield, 2012, ISBN 9780762792849, p. 20.

[5] First Ascent Timeline, deserttowersbook.com, Retrieved 2024-09-06.

[6] Eric Bjørnstad, Desert Rock: Rock Climbs in the National Parks, Chockstone Press, 1996, ISBN 9781575400105.

[7] Katy Cassidy, Canyon Country Climbs, Pruett Publishing Company, 1989, ISBN 9780871087669, p. 35.

[8] North Northeast, Mountain Project, Retrieved 2024-09-06.

[9] West Face, Mountain Project, Retrieved 2024-09-06.

[Peel-10] Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L. & McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification" (PDF). Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11 (5): 1633–1644. Bibcode:2007HESS...11.1633P. doi: 10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007 . ISSN 1027-5606. S2CID 9654551.

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