Gunther Castle

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Gunther Castle
Aerial view of Gunther Castle.jpg
South aspect, aerial view
Highest point
Elevation 7,199 ft (2,194 m) [1]
Prominence 1,019 ft (311 m) [1]
Parent peak Butchart Butte (7,602 ft) [1]
Isolation 1.41 mi (2.27 km) [1]
Coordinates 36°12′33″N111°52′19″W / 36.2091469°N 111.8720286°W / 36.2091469; -111.8720286 Coordinates: 36°12′33″N111°52′19″W / 36.2091469°N 111.8720286°W / 36.2091469; -111.8720286 [2]
Geography
USA Arizona relief location map.svg
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
Gunther Castle
Location in Arizona
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Gunther Castle
Gunther Castle (the United States)
Location Grand Canyon National Park
Coconino County, Arizona, US
Parent range Kaibab Plateau
Colorado Plateau
Topo map USGS Cape Solitude
Geology
Type of rock sandstone, siltstone, limestone
Climbing
First ascent 1969

Gunther Castle is a 7,199-foot-elevation (2,194-meter) summit located in the Grand Canyon, in Coconino County of northern Arizona, US. [2] It is situated three miles northwest of Chuar Butte, between Kwagunt Valley to the north, and Chuar Valley to the south. Topographic relief is significant as it rises nearly 4,500 feet (1,400 meters) above the Colorado River in three miles.

Contents

Gunther Castle is named for Gunther, the historical king of Burgundy in Germanic mythology. [3] [4] This feature's name was officially adopted in 1906 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. [2]

The top dome of Gunther Castle is composed of lower strata of the Pennsylvanian-Permian Supai Group. This overlays the conspicuous cliff-forming layer of Mississippian Redwall Limestone, which in turn overlays shale of the Cambrian Tonto Group. [5] According to the Köppen climate classification system, Gunther Castle is located in a Cold semi-arid climate zone. [6] Precipitation runoff from Gunther Castle drains east to the nearby Colorado River via Chuar and Kwagunt Creeks.

The first ascent of Gunther Castle was made by Alan Doty, Doc Ellis, Donald Davis, and Harvey Butchart in June 1969. [7] However, they were not the first to set foot on the summit, as they concluded that surveyors had previously arrived by helicopter, having found a surveyor's marker made of wood and a large coil of unused wire.

See also

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

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Elaine Castle is a 7,431-foot-elevation (2,265 meter) summit located in the Grand Canyon, in Coconino County of northern Arizona, US. It is situated three miles north-northwest of King Arthur Castle near the head of Shinumo Creek, and immediately southwest of Lancelot Point. Topographic relief is significant as it rises 2,800 feet above Merlin Abyss in one mile. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Elaine Castle is located in a cold semi-arid climate zone.

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

Kibbey Butte is a 7,801-foot-elevation (2,378-meter) summit located in the Grand Canyon, in Coconino County of northern Arizona, US. It is situated two miles south of the Point Imperial viewpoint on the canyon's North Rim, where it towers over 3,000 feet above Nankoweap Canyon. Its nearest higher neighbor is Brady Peak one mile to the southeast, Hancock Butte is one mile to the north-northeast, and Alsap Butte is two miles to the east. The summit of this butte is composed of dark reddish Permian Hermit Shale overlaying the Pennsylvanian-Permian Supai Group, in turn overlaying the cliff-forming Mississippian Redwall Limestone. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Kibbey Butte is located in a cold semi-arid climate zone. Precipitation runoff from this feature drains east into the Colorado River via Nankoweap Creek. Cross-country access to Kibbey Butte starts at the parking area for Greenland Lake. The first ascent of the summit was made by Harvey Butchart and Allyn Cureton on May 31, 1961.

<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 "Gunther Castle – 7,199' AZ". Lists of John. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 "Gunther Castle". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved 2021-01-06.
  3. N.H. Darton, Story of the Grand Canyon of Arizona, 1917, page 78.
  4. Gregory McNamee, Grand Canyon Place Names, 1997, Mountaineers Publisher, ISBN   9780898865332, page 58.
  5. N.H. Darton, Story of the Grand Canyon of Arizona, 1917.
  6. 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.
  7. Harvey Butchart’s Hiking Log – Detailed Hiking Log (April 3, 1969 – September 3, 1969)