Grand Scenic Divide

Last updated
Grand Scenic Divide
Grand Scenic Divide.jpg
North aspect
Highest point
Elevation 5,667 ft (1,727 m) [1]
Prominence 87 ft (27 m) [1]
Parent peak Fossil Mountain (6,729 ft) [1]
Isolation 1.04 mi (1.67 km) [1]
Coordinates 36°12′18″N112°21′24″W / 36.2050822°N 112.3566503°W / 36.2050822; -112.3566503 [2]
Geography
USA Arizona relief location map.svg
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
Grand Scenic Divide
Location in Arizona
Usa edcp relief location map.png
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
Grand Scenic Divide
Grand Scenic Divide (the United States)
CountryUnited States
State Arizona
County Coconino
Protected area Grand Canyon National Park
Parent range Coconino Plateau
Colorado Plateau
Topo map USGS Havasupai Point
Geology
Type of rock sandstone, limestone, shale
Climbing
Easiest route class 2 hiking

Grand Scenic Divide is a 5,667-foot-elevation (1,727-meter) ridge located in the Grand Canyon, in Coconino County of northern Arizona, Southwestern United States. [2] It is situated immediately north of Fossil Mountain, and 1.5 mile east of Mount Huethawali. Surrounded by Bass and Serpentine Canyons, topographic relief is significant as it rises over 3,400 feet (1,000 meters) above the nearby Colorado River in 1.5 mile. It is composed of strata of the Pennsylvanian-Permian Supai Group. Further down are strata of the cliff-forming Mississippian Redwall Limestone, and Cambrian Tonto Group. [3] According to the Köppen climate classification system, Grand Scenic Divide is located in a cold semi-arid climate zone. [4] The normal approach to the ridge is made via the South Bass Trail, and from the top the view includes Masonic Temple, Holy Grail Temple, Dox Castle, King Arthur Castle, Evans Butte, Sagittarius Ridge, and Scorpion Ridge.

Contents

Etymology

The Grand Scenic Divide is so named because it is here where the Grand Canyon markedly changes in geologic and scenic character. To the east are the isolated towers, buttes, temples, and side canyons which are the essence of its visual appeal, and to the west an absence of such striking scenery. [5] This natural line of demarcation also happens to be where the granite of the inner gorge disappears, such that buttes did not form once the river flowed only through the sedimentary rocks. [6] This geographical feature's name was applied by William Wallace Bass, and later officially adopted in 1932 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. [2] [7]

Dick Pillar

Dick Pillar is a red sandstone pinnacle at the northeast tip of Grand Scenic Divide. [8] It is unofficially named after Scottish geologist Robert Dick, whose work contributed to the progress of understanding Grand Canyon rock. [9]

1903 postcard of Dick Pillar seen from Grand Scenic Divide 03929-Grand Canyon-1903-From Grand Scenic Divide-Bruck & Sohn Kunstverlag.jpg
1903 postcard of Dick Pillar seen from Grand Scenic Divide

See also

Related Research Articles

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

Geikie Peak is a 5,005-foot (1,526 m)-elevation summit located in the Grand Canyon, in Coconino County of northern Arizona, United States. It is situated nine miles (14 km) northwest of Grand Canyon Village, immediately north of Diana Temple, and south of Scorpion Ridge which lies across the opposite side of Granite Gorge. Access is via the Tonto Trail which traverses 270 degrees around the base of the peak. Topographic relief is significant as Geikie Peak rises over 2,600 feet (790 m) above the Colorado River in one-half mile (0.80 km). According to the Köppen climate classification system, Geikie Peak is located in a cold semi-arid climate zone.

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

O'Neill Butte is a 6,071-foot (1,850 m)-elevation summit located in the Grand Canyon, in Coconino County of northern Arizona, United States. It is situated 2.5 miles (4.0 km) east-northeast of Grand Canyon Village, one mile (1.6 km) northeast of Mather Point, and one mile immediately northwest of Yaki Point. Cedar Ridge connects O'Neill Butte with Yaki Point on the South Rim. Topographic relief is significant as O'Neill Butte rises 3,600 feet (1,100 m) above the Colorado River in two miles (3.2 km). Access to this prominence is via the South Kaibab Trail which traverses the east slope of the peak. According to the Köppen climate classification system, O'Neill Butte is located in a cold semi-arid climate zone.

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

Manu Temple is a 7,184-foot-elevation (2,190-meter) summit located in the Grand Canyon, in Coconino County of northern Arizona, United States. It is situated one mile south of the North Rim's Widforss Point, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) northeast of parent Buddha Temple, and three miles southwest of the North Rim's Bright Angel Point. Topographic relief is significant as it rises nearly 3,600 feet in two miles above Bright Angel Canyon to the east, and 2,200 feet in less than one mile above Haunted Canyon to the immediate west. Its neighbors include Brahma Temple and Deva Temple to the east on the opposite side of Bright Angel Canyon. From the South Rim of the canyon it may be difficult to discern Manu Temple from the walls of the Kaibab Plateau one mile behind it, but when the lighting and atmosphere are favorable, this butte of great proportions can be seen clearly defined.

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

Vesta Temple is a 6,299-foot-elevation (1,920-meter) summit located in the Grand Canyon, in Coconino County of northern Arizona, US. It is situated eight miles west-northwest of Grand Canyon Village, and immediately northeast of Mimbreno Point. Marsh Butte is one mile northeast, Eremita Mesa immediately southeast, and nearest higher neighbor Diana Temple is one mile north. Topographic relief is significant as Vesta Temple rises 3,900 feet above the Colorado River in 2.5 miles. Vesta Temple is named for Vesta, the goddess of the hearth, home, and family according to Roman mythology. Clarence Dutton began the practice of naming geographical features in the Grand Canyon after mythological deities. This geographical feature's toponym was officially adopted in 1908 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Vesta Temple is located in a Cold semi-arid climate zone.

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

King Arthur Castle is a 7,344-foot-elevation (2,238-meter) summit located in the Grand Canyon, in Coconino County of northern Arizona, US. It is situated one-half mile northwest of Guinevere Castle, one mile west of Excalibur, and two miles east-southeast of Holy Grail Temple, within the Shinumo Amphitheater. Topographic relief is significant as it rises over 5,100 feet above the Colorado River in 4.5 miles (7.2 km). According to the Köppen climate classification system, King Arthur Castle is located in a cold semi-arid climate zone, with precipitation runoff draining west to the Colorado River via Shinumo Creek.

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

Masonic Temple is a 6,242-foot-elevation (1,903-meter) summit located in the Grand Canyon, in Coconino County of northern Arizona, US. Set below Dutton Point on the Powell Plateau, and overlooking the Shinumo Amphitheater, it is situated three miles west of Holy Grail Temple, 2.7 miles northwest of Dox Castle, and 1.6 miles north-northeast of Fan Island. Topographic relief is significant as it rises 4,000 feet above the Colorado River in four miles (6.4 km). According to the Köppen climate classification system, Masonic Temple is located in a cold semi-arid climate zone, with precipitation runoff draining south to the Colorado River via Hakatai Canyon from the west aspect, Burro Canyon from the south aspect, and Muav Canyon from the east aspect. This butte is an erosional remnant composed of strata of the Pennsylvanian-Permian Supai Group overlaying the conspicuous cliffs of Mississippian Redwall Limestone, in turn overlaying the Cambrian Tonto Group.

References

Grand Scenic Divide centered in bullseye,
from the southwest at Bass Trail Grand Scenic Divide from SW.jpg
Grand Scenic Divide centered in bullseye,
from the southwest at Bass Trail
  1. 1 2 3 4 "Grand Scenic Divide - 5,667' AZ". Lists of John. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 "Grand Scenic Divide". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  3. N.H. Darton, Story of the Grand Canyon of Arizona, 1917, page 69.
  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 (5): 1633. Bibcode:2007HESS...11.1633P. doi: 10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007 . ISSN   1027-5606.
  5. George Wharton James, In and Around the Grand Canyon, 1900, Little, Brown, and Company, page 95.
  6. George Wharton James, The Grand Canyon of Arizona How to See It, 1910, Little Brown and Company, page 59.
  7. George Wharton James, In and Around the Grand Canyon, 1900, Little, Brown, and Company, p. 95.
  8. Byrd H. Granger, Grand Canyon Place Names, 1960, University of Arizona Press Tucson, page 10.
  9. George Wharton James, In and Around the Grand Canyon, 1900, Little, Brown, and Company, p. 96.