Explorers Monument (Grand Canyon)

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Explorers Monument
Explorers Monument, Grand Canyon 2010.jpg
Southwest aspect
Highest point
Elevation 4,572 ft (1,394 m) [1]
Prominence 272 ft (83 m) [1]
Parent peak Marcos Terrace (5,140 ft) [1]
Isolation 2.06 mi (3.32 km) [1]
Coordinates 36°12′17″N112°26′42″W / 36.2046222°N 112.4451012°W / 36.2046222; -112.4451012 Coordinates: 36°12′17″N112°26′42″W / 36.2046222°N 112.4451012°W / 36.2046222; -112.4451012 [2]
Geography
USA Arizona relief location map.svg
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
Explorers Monument
Location in Arizona
Usa edcp relief location map.png
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Explorers Monument
Explorers Monument (the United States)
Location Grand Canyon National Park
Coconino County, Arizona, US
Parent range Colorado Plateau
Topo map USGS Explorers Monument
Geology
Type of rock sandstone, limestone, mudstone
Climbing
Easiest route class 4 climbing [1]

Explorers Monument is a 4,572-foot-elevation (1,394-meter) summit located in the Grand Canyon, in Coconino County of northern Arizona, US. [2] It is situated 3.5 miles due west of Mount Huethawali, within a meander of the Colorado River. It towers over 2,400 feet (730 meters) directly above the river, providing rafters a view of this landmark. Explorers Monument is topped by rock of the Pennsylvanian-Permian Supai Group which overlays cliff-forming Mississippian Redwall Limestone, which in turn overlays Cambrian Tonto Group. [3] According to the Köppen climate classification system, Explorers Monument is located in a cold semi-arid climate zone. [4]

Contents

History

Explorers Monument was originally named "Marcos Monument" by George Wharton James because it adjoins Marcos Terrace, which is named for Marcos de Niza, a Franciscan friar and explorer. [2] Subsequently, the United States Geological Survey proposed and in 1908 officially adopted the name "Explorers Monument" to honor Grand Canyon explorers Joseph Christmas Ives, George Wheeler, Edward Beale, Almon Thompson, and John Newberry. [5] [2]

See also

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

Colter Butte is a 7,254-foot-elevation (2,211-meter) summit located in the Grand Canyon in Coconino County of northern Arizona, US. It is situated four miles southeast of Point Imperial, where it towers 3,600 feet above Nankoweap Canyon. Its neighbors include Brady Peak, 2.5 miles to the west-northwest, Alsap Butte two miles to the northwest, and Swilling Butte one-half mile to the east. Colter Butte is named after James G. H. Colter (1844–1922), born in Nova Scotia, Canada, he came to the Arizona Territory in 1872 as a pioneer, farmer, cattleman, Apache and desperado fighter. He was the father of Arizona state senator Fred Colter. This geographical feature's name was officially adopted in 1932 by the United States Board on Geographic Names. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Colter Butte is located in a cold semi-arid climate zone. This butte is composed of Pennsylvanian-Permian Supai Group which overlays cliff-forming Mississippian Redwall Limestone, which in turn overlays slope-forming Cambrian Tonto Group. Precipitation runoff from this feature drains east to the Colorado River via Nankoweap Creek on the north side and Kwagunt Creek from the south slope.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Explorers Monument – 4,572' AZ". Lists of John. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Explorers Monument". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  3. N.H. Darton, Story of the Grand Canyon of Arizona, 1917.
  4. 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.
  5. Randy Moore and Kara Felicia Witt, The Grand Canyon: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture, 2018, ABC-CLIO Publisher, page 74.