Elephant Rock (Valley of Fire)

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Elephant Rock
Elephant Rock (Aztec Sandstone, Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic; Valley of Fire, Nevada, USA) 5.jpg
South aspect of the arch
Highest point
Elevation 1,926 ft (587 m) [1]
Prominence 32 ft (9.8 m) [2]
Parent peak The 5-Arch [2]
Isolation 0.78 mi (1.26 km) [2]
Coordinates 36°25′42″N114°27′39″W / 36.4283735°N 114.4609548°W / 36.4283735; -114.4609548 [1]
Geography
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Elephant Rock
Location in Nevada
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Elephant Rock
Elephant Rock (the United States)
CountryUnited States
State Nevada
County Clark
Protected area Valley of Fire State Park
Parent range Great Basin Ranges [3]
Topo map USGS Valley of Fire East
Geology
Rock age Early Jurassic
Rock type Aztec Sandstone
Climbing
Easiest route class 3 scrambling [2]

Elephant Rock is a 1,926-foot-elevation (587-meter) summit in Clark County, Nevada, United States.

Contents

Description

Elephant Rock is located 42 miles (68 km) northeast of downtown Las Vegas in the Valley of Fire State Park near the park's east entrance. The landform is one of the most photographed attractions within the park. [4] It is set in the Mojave Desert and it is one of the most famous sandstone features in Nevada. [5] Elephant Rock is composed of Aztec Sandstone which formed as lithified sand dunes in a desert about 180–190 million years ago during the Early Jurassic. [6] Precipitation runoff from the landform drains east to Lake Mead via Thomas Wash and Valley of Fire Wash. Topographic relief is modest as the summit rises 120 feet (37 meters) above the Valley of Fire Road in 265 feet (81 m). Access to the arch is from a 0.25-mile trail that starts at a roadside parking lot with information and restrooms. [7] This landform's descriptive toponym, which derives its name from a much-photographed natural arch that resembles an elephant, has been officially adopted by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. [1] [8]

Climate

Elephant Rock is set within the Mojave Desert which has hot summers and cold winters. [9] Due to the elevation and aridity, temperatures drop sharply after sunset. Summer nights are comfortably cool. Winter highs are generally above freezing, and winter nights are bitterly cold, with temperatures often dropping well below freezing.

See also

The namesake arch of Elephant Rock Valley of Fire-27527-1.jpg
The namesake arch of Elephant Rock

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Elephant Rock". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved 2024-11-28.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Elephant Rock - 1,886' NV". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2024-11-28.
  3. ↑ "Elephant Rock, Nevada". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2024-11-28.
  4. ↑ Greg Ward, The Rough Guide to Las Vegas, Rough Guides, 2002, ISBN   9781858288901, p. 133.
  5. ↑ Gibbs Smith, Nevada, Our Home, ISBN   9781423623724, p.14
  6. ↑ Rick Miller PhD, Really, What’s Two Billion Years Among Friends?, Dorrance Publishing, 2023, ISBN   9798885271776, p. 32.
  7. ↑ Brian Beffort, Afoot and Afield: Las Vegas and Southern Nevada, Wilderness Press, 2010, ISBN   9780899976518, p. 165.
  8. ↑ National Geographic Guide to State Parks of the United States, 4th Edition, National Geographic Books, 2012, ISBN   9781426208898, p. 353.
  9. ↑ 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.
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