Goat Mountain (Brewster County, Texas)

Goat Mountain
Southwest aspect, summit to right
Highest point
Elevation	4,619 ft (1,408 m) [1]
Prominence	723 ft (220 m) [1]
Isolation	2.65 mi (4.26 km) [2]
Coordinates	29°11′15″N103°24′23″W / 29.1875846°N 103.4062832°W / 29.1875846; -103.4062832 [3]
Geography
Goat Mountain Location of Goat Mountain in Texas Show map of Texas Goat Mountain Goat Mountain (the United States) Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Brewster
Protected area	Big Bend National Park [1]
Parent range	Chisos Mountains [1]
Topo map	USGS Cerro Castellan
Geology
Rock age	Oligocene
Rock type	Igneous rock (Rhyolite)

Goat Mountain is a 4,619-foot-elevation (1,408-meter) summit in Brewster County, Texas, United States.

Description

Goat Mountain is part of the Chisos Mountains where it is set in Big Bend National Park and the Chihuahuan Desert. The top of the mountain is composed of Burro Mesa Rhyolite (volcanic rock) which formed 29 million years ago during the Oligocene period. ^{[4] [5]} Lower slopes are composed of Wasp Spring Tuff of the Burro Mesa Formation, trachyte, and Bee Mountain Basalt of the Chisos Formation. ^{[6] [7]} Based on the Köppen climate classification, the mountain is located in a hot arid climate zone with hot summers and mild winters. ^[8] This climate supports plants on the slopes such as oak, piñon pine, juniper, and grasses. ^[9] Any scant precipitation runoff from the peak's slopes drains into Blue Creek and Smoky Creek which are both tributaries of the Rio Grande which is eight miles to the southwest. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 1,700 feet (518 m) above Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive in one mile (1.6 km). The mountain's toponym has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names. ^[3]

See also

• List of mountain peaks of Texas
• Geography of Texas

Gallery

• 
  West aspect, Peak 4540 (left) and summit to right
• 
  Peak 4540 and Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive
• 
  Peak 4540 and Goat from Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive
• 
  Northwest aspect with summit to right
• 
  WSW aspect
• 
  Northeast aspect viewed from Sotol Vista Overlook
• 
  Southwest aspect
• 
  West aspect

References

1. "Goat Mountain, Texas". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
2. "Goat Mountain - 4,625' TX". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
3. "Goat Mountain". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved 2024-11-10.
4. Gray, J.E., Geological, Geochemical, and Geophysical Studies by the U.S. Geological Survey in Big Bend National Park, Texas, U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1327, p. 9, Retrieved 2024-11-10.
5. Geology of the Big Bend Area and Solitario Dome, Texas, West Texas Geological Society, 1986, p. 223.
6. Crouching Mule - Hidden Canyon: A Trip Down the Maxwell Scenic Highway, Francis Redfern, Retrieved 2024-11-10.
7. South-Central Section of the Geological Society of America: Decade of North American Geology, Centennial Field Guide Volume 4, Geological Society of America, 1988, p. 433.
8. 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.
9. Goat Mountain, Texas State Historical Association, Retrieved 2024-11-09.

External links

• Goat Mountain: Weather
• Goat Mountain (photo): Flickr