Lady in the Bathtub

Lady in the Bathtub
Southeast aspect
Highest point
Elevation	5,552 ft (1,692 m) [1]
Prominence	452 ft (138 m) [1]
Parent peak	Hidden Tower (5,774 ft) [1]
Isolation	0.98 mi (1.58 km) [1]
Coordinates	37°16′55″N109°52′43″W / 37.2819451°N 109.8787366°W / 37.2819451; -109.8787366 [2]
Geography
Lady in the Bathtub Location in Utah Show map of Utah Lady in the Bathtub Lady in the Bathtub (the United States) Show map of the United States
Location	Valley of the Gods San Juan County, Utah, U.S.
Parent range	Colorado Plateau
Topo map	USGS Cedar Mesa South
Geology
Rock age	Permian
Rock type	Sandstone
Climbing
First ascent	1978
Easiest route	class 5.9 climbing [1]

Lady in the Bathtub is a 5,552-foot-elevation (1,692-meter) pillar in San Juan County, Utah, United States.

Description

Lady in the Bathtub is situated 17 miles (27 km) west of Bluff, Utah, in the Valley of the Gods, on land administered by the Bureau of Land Management. ^[3] Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 550 feet (168 meters) above the surrounding terrain in 0.2 mile (0.32 km). Precipitation runoff from this iconic landform's slopes drains to the San Juan River via Lime Creek. Access is via the 17-mile Valley of the Gods Road. This landform's descriptive toponym was officially adopted in 1988 by the United States Board on Geographic Names. ^[2] The first ascent of the summit was made on September 26, 1978, by George Hurley and Bill Forrest. ^[4]

Geology

Lady in the Bathtub is composed of two principal strata of the Cutler Formation. The bottom layer is slope-forming Halgaito Formation and the upper stratum is cliff-forming Cedar Mesa Sandstone. ^[5] Cedar Mesa Sandstone is the remains of coastal sand dunes deposited about 270 to 300 million years ago, during the Wolfcampian (early Permian). ^[6] The buttes of Valley of the Gods are the result of the Halgaito Formation being more easily eroded than the overlaying sandstone. The valley floor is Honaker Trail Formation. ^[7]

Climate

Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to visit Lady in the Bathtub. According to the Köppen climate classification system, it is located in a cold semi-arid climate zone with cold winters and hot summers. ^[8] Summers highs rarely exceed 100 °F (38 °C). Summer nights are comfortably cool, and temperatures drop quickly after sunset. Winters are cold, but daytime highs are usually above freezing. Winter temperatures below 0 °F (−18 °C) are uncommon, though possible. This desert climate receives less than 10 inches (250 millimeters) of annual rainfall, and snowfall is generally light during the winter.

See also

• Castle Butte (Valley of the Gods)

Gallery

• 
  Lady in the Bathtub (center) viewed edgewise from the south.
  "Hidden Tower" (5,774') to the left.
• 
  Lady in the Bathtub (centered) viewed from northwest. Hidden Tower to left.
• 
  Southeast aspect
• 
• 
  Lady in the Bathtub at far left

References

1. "Lady in the Bathtub - 5,552' UT". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
2. "Lady in the Bathtub". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved 2024-08-31.
3. Valley of the Gods, Bureau of Land Management, Retrieved 2024-08-31.
4. First Ascent Timeline, deserttowersbook.com, Retrieved 2024-08-31.
5. Robert Brett O'Sullivan, Geology of the Cedar Mesa-Boundary Butte Area, San Juan County, Utah, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1965, p. 34.
6. Baars, D.L. (1962). "Permian System of Colorado Plateau". AAPG Bulletin. 46 (2): 149–218. doi:10.1306/BC74376F-16BE-11D7-8645000102C1865D.
7. Dan S. Chaney, The Carboniferous-Permian Transition, New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, 2013, p. 64.
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 (5): 1633–1644. Bibcode:2007HESS...11.1633P. doi: 10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007 . ISSN   1027-5606. S2CID   9654551.

External links

• Lady in the Bathtub (photo): Flickr