Masonic Temple (Grand Canyon)

Last updated
Masonic Temple
Masonic temple AZ.jpg
South aspect (Dutton Point upper left)
Highest point
Elevation 6,242 ft (1,903 m) [1]
Prominence 62 ft (19 m) [1]
Parent peak Holy Grail Temple (6,711 ft) [1]
Isolation 2.58 mi (4.15 km) [1]
Coordinates 36°16′35″N112°21′03″W / 36.2764984°N 112.3507455°W / 36.2764984; -112.3507455 [2]
Geography
USA Arizona relief location map.svg
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Masonic Temple
Location in Arizona
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Masonic Temple
Masonic Temple (the United States)
Location Grand Canyon National Park
Coconino County, Arizona, US
Parent range Kaibab Plateau
Colorado Plateau
Topo map USGS King Arthur Castle
Geology
Type of rock sandstone, limestone, shale
Climbing
First ascent Alan Doty [3]
Easiest route class 4 climbing [1]

Masonic Temple is a 6,242-foot-elevation (1,903-meter) summit located in the Grand Canyon, in Coconino County of northern Arizona, US. [2] 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 (1,200 meters) 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. [4] 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. [5]

Contents

Etymology

Masonic Temple was named by George Wharton James as a tribute to the Order of Freemasons, an organization to which he belonged. [2] [6] To James, the immense angular walls below Dutton Point seemed to form a square, and the freemasonry expression "on the square" suggested to him the name. [7] This feature's name was officially adopted in 1908 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. [2]

See also

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Fan Island is a 5,092-foot-elevation (1,552-meter) summit located in the Grand Canyon, in Coconino County of northern Arizona, US. It is situated two miles south of Dutton Point, 2.5 miles west-northwest of Dox Castle, and 1.6 miles south-southwest of Masonic Temple. Topographic relief is significant as it rises 2,900 feet above the Colorado River in one mile (1.6 km). Fan Island was so named because the flat top resembles an unfolded hand fan. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Fan Island 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, and Burro Canyon from the east aspect. This butte is an erosional remnant composed of Redwall Limestone overlaying the Tonto Group.

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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. 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 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. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Grand Scenic Divide is located in a cold semi-arid climate zone. 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.

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

Guinevere Castle is a 7,281-foot-elevation (2,219 meter) summit located in the Grand Canyon, in Coconino County of northern Arizona, US. It is situated one-half mile southeast of King Arthur Castle, one mile west of Excalibur, and 2.5 miles northeast of Evans Butte, within the Shinumo Amphitheater. Topographic relief is significant as it rises 5,000 feet above the Colorado River in 4.5 miles, and 2,600 feet above Gawain Abyss in one mile. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Guinevere Castle is located in a cold semi-arid climate zone.

<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 "Masonic Temple – 6,242' AZ". Lists of John. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Masonic Temple". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved 2021-02-27.
  3. Todd R. Berger, Reflections of Grand Canyon Historians: Ideas, Arguments and First-Person Accounts, 2nd edition, 2008, Grand Canyon Association Publisher, ISBN   978-1934656006
  4. Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (October 11, 2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification" (PDF). Hydrology and Earth System Sciences . 11 (5): 1633–1644. Bibcode:2007HESS...11.1633P. doi: 10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007 . Archived (PDF) from the original on February 14, 2021.
  5. Ralph Lee Hopkins, Hiking the Southwest's Geology: Four Corners Region, 2002, The Mountaineers Books, ISBN   0898868564, page 91.
  6. Gregory McNamee, Grand Canyon Place Names, 1997, Mountaineers Publisher, ISBN   9780898865332, page 80.
  7. George Wharton James, In and Around the Grand Canyon, 1900, Little, Brown, and Company, page 98.