Brighams Tomb

Brighams Tomb
Brighams Tomb
	North aspect
Highest point
Elevation	6,739 ft (2,054 m)
Prominence	1,225 ft (373 m)
Parent peak	Agathla Peak (7,099 ft)
Isolation	16.59 mi (26.70 km)
Coordinates	37°02′46″N110°05′04″W / 37.0459830°N 110.0843896°W
Naming
Etymology	Brigham's Tomb
Geography
	Brighams Tomb Location in Utah Brighams Tomb Brighams Tomb (the United States)
Location	Monument Valley ; San Juan County, Utah, U.S.
Parent range	Colorado Plateau
Topo map	USGS Monument Pass
Geology
Type of rock	Sandstone
Climbing
Easiest route	class 5.x climbing

Last updated August 29, 2024

Brighams Tomb is a 6,739-foot-elevation (2,054-meter) summit in San Juan County, Utah, United States.^[1]

Description

Brighams Tomb is situated six miles (9.7 km) northeast of Oljato–Monument Valley, Utah, on Navajo Nation land. It is an iconic landform of Monument Valley and can be seen from Highway 163. Precipitation runoff from this landform's slopes drains into the San Juan River drainage basin.^[3] Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 1,000 feet (305 meters) above the surrounding terrain in 0.25 mile (0.4 km). The mountain's name refers to Brigham Young,^[4] the first governor of the Utah Territory. This landform's toponym was officially adopted/revised in 1988 by the United States Board on Geographic Names after having been officially named "Saddleback" from 1964 through 1987.^[1]^[5] Some older maps will still show the Saddleback name.

Geology

Brighams Tomb is composed of three principal strata. The bottom layer is slope-forming Organ Rock Shale, the next stratum is cliff-forming De Chelly Sandstone, and the upper layer is Moenkopi Formation capped by Shinarump Conglomerate. The rock ranges in age from Permian at the bottom to Late Triassic at the top. The buttes and mesas of Monument Valley are the result of the Organ Rock Shale being more easily eroded than the overlaying sandstone.^[6]

Climate

Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to visit Brighams Tomb. According to the Köppen climate classification system, it is located in a semi-arid climate zone with cold winters and hot summers. Summers average 54 days above 90 °F (32 °C) annually, and highs rarely exceed 100 °F (38 °C). Summer nights are comfortably cool, and temperatures drop quickly after sunset. Winters are cold, but daytime highs are usually above freezing. Winter temperatures below 0 °F (−18 °C) are uncommon, though possible. This desert climate receives less than 10 inches (250 millimeters) of annual rainfall, and snowfall is generally light during the winter.^[7]

Gallery

Brighams Tomb to the right, looking southwest from Highway 163.
Forrest Gump was here. (culmination of cross-country running scene)
Brighams Tomb to the right
Brighams Tomb to the right
Southwest aspect, with King-on-his-Throne to right
Brighams Tomb to the right
Brighams Tomb to the right
Brighams Tomb to the right
Northeast aspect
South aspect of Brighams Tomb (centered) and Castle Rock (right) viewed from North Window Overlook
Brighams Tomb to the left
Brighams Tomb to the left
North aspect

Related Research Articles

Monument Valley is a region of the Colorado Plateau characterized by a cluster of sandstone buttes, with the largest reaching 1,000 ft (300 m) above the valley floor. The most famous butte formations are located in northeastern Arizona along the Utah–Arizona state line. The valley is considered sacred by the Navajo Nation, the Native American people within whose reservation it lies.

Buckskin Mountain is a 16-mile (26 km) mountain ridge that spans from Coconino County, Arizona to Kane County, Utah in the United States, that is divided almost equally between the two counties.

The West and East Mitten Buttes are two buttes in the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park in northeast Navajo County, Arizona. When viewed from the south, the buttes appear to be two giant mittens with their thumbs facing inwards.

Owl Rock is a 6,547-foot elevation sandstone summit located south of Monument Valley, in northeast Arizona. It is situated 7 miles (11 km) north of Kayenta on Navajo Nation land, and can be seen from Highway 163 perched on the east edge of Tyende Mesa, where it towers 1,000 feet above the surrounding terrain. Its nearest higher neighbor is Agathla Peak, 1.4 miles (2.3 km) to the east-northeast, on the opposite side of this highway. Precipitation runoff from this feature drains into El Capitan Wash, which is part of the San Juan River drainage basin. The first ascent of Owl Rock was made in April 1966 by Fred Beckey and Harvey Carter by climbing cracks on the west face, and then bolting up a smooth south nose to the summit. They employed 20 pitons and 14 bolts on this route called Warpath. The descriptive name stems from its uncanny resemblance to an owl when viewed from the east. This feature is known as Bee 'Adizí in Navajo language meaning "spindle", and this sacred place is considered to be a spindle left behind by the Holy People. A newer name for it is Tsé Ts'óózí, meaning "Slim Rock".

Bridger Jack Butte is a sandstone butte located in Bears Ears National Monument, in San Juan County, Utah, United States. Set at the northern tip of Bridger Jack Mesa and above the confluence of Indian and Lavender Creeks, the summit rises to an elevation of 5,890 feet, and towers over 700 feet above the surrounding terrain and floor of Lavender Canyon to its west. This landmark is situated four miles southeast of the Sixshooter Peaks, and is visible from State Route 211 between Newspaper Rock and the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. "Bridger Jack" was a Paiute medicine man.

Boundary Butte is a 4,934-foot elevation sandstone summit located south of Lake Powell, in extreme southwestern San Juan County, Utah, United States, just north of the Arizona border. It is situated on Navajo Nation land, 11.5 miles (18.5 km) northeast of the town of Page, and towers 1,200 feet above the lake as a landmark of the area. It lies on the Utah-Arizona border, hence its name.

Sentinel Mesa is a 6,450-foot-elevation (1,966-meter) summit in San Juan County, Utah, United States. It is situated 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north of the Monument Valley visitor center on Navajo Nation land and can be seen from Highway 163. The mesa is immediately northwest of the iconic West and East Mitten Buttes. The nearest higher neighbor is Brighams Tomb, 2.64 miles (4.25 km) to the north-northeast. Precipitation runoff from this mesa's west slope drains to Mitchell Butte Wash, whereas the east slope drains to West Gypsum Creek, which are both part of the San Juan River drainage basin. The "Sentinel" name refers to how the mesa oversees Monument Valley which the Navajo consider as one of the "door posts" to Monument Valley. The landform's toponym has been officially adopted by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.

Eagle Mesa is a 6,624-foot-elevation (2,019-meter) summit in San Juan County, Utah, United States.

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

Spearhead Mesa is a 5,998-foot-elevation (1,828-meter) summit in Navajo County, Arizona, United States.

Rain God Mesa is a 5,921-foot-elevation (1,805-meter) summit in Navajo County, Arizona, United States.

Camel Butte is a 5,847-foot-elevation (1,782-meter) summit in Navajo County, Arizona, United States.

Elephant Butte is a 5,981-foot-elevation (1,823-meter) summit in Navajo County, Arizona, United States.

Cly Butte is a 5,820-foot-elevation (1,774-meter) summit in Navajo County, Arizona, United States.

Setting Hen is a 6,293-foot-elevation (1,918-meter) summit in San Juan County, Utah, United States.

Mitchell Butte is a 6,383-foot-elevation (1,946-meter) summit in Navajo County, Arizona, United States.

Gray Whiskers is a 6,385-foot-elevation (1,946-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.

Big Indian is a 6,120-foot-elevation (1,865-meter) summit in San Juan County, Utah, United States.

Rooster Rock is a 5,985-foot-elevation (1,824-meter) summit in Apache County, Arizona, United States.

References

1 2 3 4 "Brighams Tomb". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved 2024-08-24.
1 2 3 4 "Brighams Tomb - 6,725' UT". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2024-08-24.
1 2 "Brighams Tomb, Utah". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2024-08-24.
↑ Monument Valley, City of Aztec, aztecnm.com, Retrieved 2024-08-24.
↑ Decisions on Geographic Names in the United States, Decision List No. 8803, 1988, p. 12.
↑ Monument Valley, Arizona, Arizona Geological Survey, Retrieved 2024-08-24.
↑ Climate Summary for Kayenta, Arizona

External links

Weather forecast: Brighams Tomb
West aspect of Brighams Tomb (photo): Flickr

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[gnis-1] 1 2 3 4 "Brighams Tomb". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved 2024-08-24.

[listsofjohn-2] 1 2 3 4 "Brighams Tomb - 6,725' UT". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2024-08-24.

[pb-3] 1 2 "Brighams Tomb, Utah". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2024-08-24.

[4] Monument Valley, City of Aztec, aztecnm.com, Retrieved 2024-08-24.

[5] Decisions on Geographic Names in the United States, Decision List No. 8803, 1988, p. 12.

[6] Monument Valley, Arizona, Arizona Geological Survey, Retrieved 2024-08-24.

[7] Climate Summary for Kayenta, Arizona

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]