Confucius Temple (Grand Canyon)

Last updated
Confucius Temple
Twin Butte [1]
Confucius Temple AZ.jpg
East aspect, aerial view
Highest point
Elevation 7,081 ft (2,158 m) [2]
Prominence 935 ft (285 m) [2]
Parent peak Dragon Head (7,765 ft) [2]
Isolation 2.64 mi (4.25 km) [2]
Coordinates 36°10′49″N112°13′18″W / 36.1802881°N 112.2217423°W / 36.1802881; -112.2217423 Coordinates: 36°10′49″N112°13′18″W / 36.1802881°N 112.2217423°W / 36.1802881; -112.2217423 [1]
Geography
USA Arizona relief location map.svg
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Confucius Temple
Location in Arizona
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Confucius Temple
Confucius Temple (the United States)
Location Grand Canyon National Park
Coconino County, Arizona, US
Parent range Kaibab Plateau
Colorado Plateau
Topo map USGS Shiva Temple
Geology
Type of rock limestone, sandstone, mudstone

Confucius Temple is a 7,081-foot-elevation (2,158-meter) summit located in the Grand Canyon, in Coconino County of northern Arizona, US. [1] It is situated 1.5 mile southeast of Point Sublime, four miles west-northwest of Shiva Temple, and three miles northwest of Tower of Ra, where it rises over 3,200 feet (980 meters) above Hindu Amphitheater. Confucius Temple is named for Confucius (551–479 BC), the Chinese philosopher. [3] This name was applied by Clarence Dutton, who began the tradition of naming geographical features in the Grand Canyon after mythological deities. [4] Confucius Temple is one of the Twin Buttes in the Grand Canyon, the other being Mencius Temple (7,001 ft), which is named for Mencius, considered the second-most famous sage, after only Confucius himself. [1] This mountain's name was officially adopted in 1906 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. [1] According to the Köppen climate classification system, Confucius Temple has a Cold semi-arid climate. [5]

Contents

Geology

The top cupola of Confucius Temple is composed of the basal layer of Permian Kaibab Limestone, upon a similar-thickness unit of slope-forming Toroweap Formation, overlaying cream-colored, cliff-forming, Permian Coconino Sandstone. [6] The sandstone, which is the third-youngest of the strata in the Grand Canyon, was deposited 265 million years ago as sand dunes. Below the Coconino Sandstone is reddish, slope-forming, Permian Hermit Formation, which in turn overlays the Pennsylvanian-Permian Supai Group. [7] Further down are strata of the conspicuous cliff-forming Mississippian Redwall Limestone, the Cambrian Tonto Group, and finally granite of the Paleoproterozoic Vishnu Basement Rocks at Colorado River level. Precipitation runoff from Confucius Temple drains west to Tuna Creek, and east to Crystal Creek, both north tributaries of the Colorado River.

See also

Aerial of Mencius and Confucius Temples, looking west Grand Canyon DEIS Aerial Mencius and Confucious Temples (5476578007).jpg
Aerial of Mencius and Confucius Temples, looking west

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castor Temple</span> Landform in the Grand Canyon, Arizona

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Sinking Ship is a 7,344-foot (2,238 m) elevation summit located in the Grand Canyon, in Coconino County of northern Arizona, United States. This butte is situated 1.7 miles (2.7 km) southeast of the Grandview Point overlook on the canyon's South Rim, and 1.25 miles (2.01 km) southwest of Coronado Butte. Topographic relief is significant as it rises 4,800 feet (1,500 m) above the Colorado River in 4 miles (6.4 km). According to the Köppen climate classification system, Sinking Ship is located in a cold semi-arid climate zone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guinevere Castle</span> Landform in the Grand Canyon, Arizona

Guinevere Castle is a 7,281-foot-elevation (2,219 meter) summit located in the Grand Canyon, in Coconino County of northern Arizona, US. It is situated one-half mile southeast of King Arthur Castle, one mile west of Excalibur, and 2.5 miles northeast of Evans Butte, within the Shinumo Amphitheater. Topographic relief is significant as it rises 5,000 feet above the Colorado River in 4.5 miles, and 2,600 feet above Gawain Abyss in one mile. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Guinevere Castle is located in a cold semi-arid climate zone.

References

Confucius Temple from Point Sublime Duttonnp000086AAA2.jpg
Confucius Temple from Point Sublime
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Confucius Temple". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved 2021-01-08.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Confucius Temple – 7,081' AZ". Lists of John. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  3. Grand Canyon National Park Arizona, 1933, US Government Printing Office, page 52.
  4. Stephen J. Pyne, Voyager: Seeking Newer Worlds in the Third Great Age of Discovery, 2010, Penguin Group.
  5. Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11. ISSN   1027-5606.
  6. N.H. Darton, Story of the Grand Canyon of Arizona, 1917, page 67.
  7. William Kenneth Hamblin, Anatomy of the Grand Canyon: Panoramas of the Canyon's Geology, 2008, Grand Canyon Association Publisher, ISBN   9781934656013.