Mitchell Butte

Mitchell Butte
Mitchell Butte
	North aspect
Highest point
Elevation	6,383 ft (1,946 m)
Prominence	893 ft (272 m)
Parent peak	Gray Whiskers (6,385 ft)
Isolation	1.02 mi (1.64 km)
Coordinates	36°58′35″N110°09′09″W / 36.9765251°N 110.1525526°W
Geography
	Mitchell Butte Location in Arizona Mitchell Butte Mitchell Butte (the United States)
Location	Navajo Reservation ; Navajo County, Arizona, U.S.
Parent range	Colorado Plateau
Topo map	USGS Mystery Valley
Geology
Mountain type	Butte
Rock type	Sandstone
Climbing
First ascent	June 9, 1985, by Banditos
Easiest route	class 5.x climbing

Last updated December 07, 2024

Mitchell Butte is a 6,383-foot-elevation (1,946-meter) summit in Navajo County, Arizona, United States.

Description

Mitchell Butte is situated 2.2 miles (3.5 km) west-southwest of the Monument Valley visitor center on Navajo Nation land and can be seen from Highway 163. Precipitation runoff from this butte's slopes drains to Mitchell Butte Wash and Oljeto Wash which are part of the San Juan River drainage basin.^[2] Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 900 feet (274 meters) above the surrounding terrain in 0.2 mile (0.32 km). The nearest higher neighbor is Mitchell Mesa, 1.86 miles (2.99 km) to the east.^[2] The landform's toponym has been officially adopted by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.^[3] The Mitchell name refers to Hearndon Mitchell, who along with Robert Merrick were silver prospectors. They were warned in 1879 to stay away from Monument Valley but were shot and killed there the following year by Utes.^[5]

Geology

Mitchell Butte is composed of three principal strata. The bottom layer is slope-forming Organ Rock Shale, the next stratum is cliff-forming De Chelly Sandstone, and the upper layer is Moenkopi Formation.^[6] The rock ranges in age from Permian at the bottom to Triassic at the top. The buttes and mesas of Monument Valley are the result of the Organ Rock Shale being more easily eroded than the overlaying sandstone.^[7]

Climate

Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to visit Mitchell Butte. According to the Köppen climate classification system, it is located in a semi-arid climate zone with cold winters and hot summers. Summers average 54 days above 90 °F (32 °C) annually, and 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.^[8]

Gallery

West aspect
Northwest aspect of Mitchell Butte with Mitchell Mesa in the background.
East aspect with a dusting of snow
East aspect
WNW aspect
Mitchell Butte (left) with Mitchell Mesa behind
The view from Monument Valley Visitor Center parking lot looking west-southwest at Gray Whiskers (left) and Mitchell Butte (right).

Related Research Articles

Monument Valley is a region of the Colorado Plateau characterized by a cluster of sandstone buttes, with the largest reaching 1,000 ft (300 m) above the valley floor. The most famous butte formations are located in northeastern Arizona along the Utah–Arizona state line. The valley is considered sacred by the Navajo Nation, the Native American people within whose reservation it lies.

Owl Rock is a 6,547-foot elevation sandstone summit located south of Monument Valley, in northeast Arizona. It is situated 7 miles (11 km) north of Kayenta on Navajo Nation land, and can be seen from Highway 163 perched on the east edge of Tyende Mesa, where it towers 1,000 feet above the surrounding terrain. Its nearest higher neighbor is Agathla Peak, 1.4 miles (2.3 km) to the east-northeast, on the opposite side of this highway. Precipitation runoff from this feature drains into El Capitan Wash, which is part of the San Juan River drainage basin. The first ascent of Owl Rock was made in April 1966 by Fred Beckey and Harvey Carter by climbing cracks on the west face, and then bolting up a smooth south nose to the summit. They employed 20 pitons and 14 bolts on this route called Warpath. The descriptive name stems from its uncanny resemblance to an owl when viewed from the east. This feature is known as Bee 'Adizí in Navajo language meaning "spindle", and this sacred place is considered to be a spindle left behind by the Holy People. A newer name for it is Tsé Ts'óózí, meaning "Slim Rock".

Sentinel Mesa is a 6,450-foot-elevation (1,966-meter) summit in San Juan County, Utah, United States. It is situated 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north of the Monument Valley visitor center on Navajo Nation land and can be seen from Highway 163. The mesa is immediately northwest of the iconic West and East Mitten Buttes. The nearest higher neighbor is Brighams Tomb, 2.64 miles (4.25 km) to the north-northeast. Precipitation runoff from this mesa's west slope drains to Mitchell Butte Wash, whereas the east slope drains to West Gypsum Creek, which are both part of the San Juan River drainage basin. The "Sentinel" name refers to how the mesa oversees Monument Valley which the Navajo consider as one of the "door posts" to Monument Valley. The landform's toponym has been officially adopted by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.

Eagle Mesa is a 6,624-foot-elevation (2,019-meter) summit in San Juan County, Utah, United States.

Brighams Tomb is a 6,739-foot-elevation (2,054-meter) summit in San Juan County, Utah, United States.

Mitchell Mesa is a 6,586-foot-elevation (2,007-meter) summit in Navajo County, Arizona, United States.

Spearhead Mesa is a 5,998-foot-elevation (1,828-meter) summit in Navajo County, Arizona, United States.

Rain God Mesa is a 5,921-foot-elevation (1,805-meter) summit in Navajo County, Arizona, United States.

Camel Butte is a 5,847-foot-elevation (1,782-meter) summit in Navajo County, Arizona, United States.

Elephant Butte is a 5,981-foot-elevation (1,823-meter) summit in Navajo County, Arizona, United States.

Cly Butte is a 5,820-foot-elevation (1,774-meter) summit in Navajo County, Arizona, United States.

Setting Hen is a 6,293-foot-elevation (1,918-meter) summit in San Juan County, Utah, United States.

Gray Whiskers is a 6,385-foot-elevation (1,946-meter) summit in Navajo County, Arizona, United States.

Castle Rock is a 6,340-foot-elevation (1,932-meter) summit in San Juan County, Utah, United States.

Big Indian is a 6,120-foot-elevation (1,865-meter) summit in San Juan County, Utah, United States.

Rooster Rock is a 5,985-foot-elevation (1,824-meter) summit in Apache County, Arizona, United States.

Thunderbird Mesa is a 5,814-foot-elevation (1,772-meter) summit in Navajo County, Arizona, United States.

King-on-his-Throne is a 6,165-foot-elevation (1,879-meter) summit in San Juan County, Utah, United States.

Stagecoach is a 6,302-foot-elevation (1,921-meter) summit in San Juan County, Utah, United States.

Round Rock is a 6,310-foot-elevation (1,923-meter) summit in Apache County, Arizona, United States.

References

1 2 3 4 5 "Mitchell Butte - 6,383' AZ". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
1 2 3 4 "Mitchell Butte, Arizona". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
1 2 "Mitchell Butte". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved 2024-08-27.
↑ First Ascent Timeline, deserttowersbook.com, Retrieved 2024-08-27.
↑ Road Log of Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, Utah and Arizona, William L. Chenoweth, 2000, Utah Geological Association Publication, p. 4.
↑ Geology and Uranium-vanadium Deposits of the Monument Valley Area, Apache and Navajo Counties, Arizona, Irving Jerome Witkind, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1963, p. 139.
↑ Monument Valley, Arizona, Arizona Geological Survey, Retrieved 2024-08-27.
↑ Climate Summary for Kayenta, Arizona

External links

Weather forecast: Mitchell Butte

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[listsofjohn-1] 1 2 3 4 5 "Mitchell Butte - 6,383' AZ". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2024-08-27.

[pb-2] 1 2 3 4 "Mitchell Butte, Arizona". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2024-08-27.

[gnis-3] 1 2 "Mitchell Butte". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved 2024-08-27.

[4] First Ascent Timeline, deserttowersbook.com, Retrieved 2024-08-27.

[5] Road Log of Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, Utah and Arizona, William L. Chenoweth, 2000, Utah Geological Association Publication, p. 4.

[Witkind-6] Geology and Uranium-vanadium Deposits of the Monument Valley Area, Apache and Navajo Counties, Arizona, Irving Jerome Witkind, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1963, p. 139.

[7] Monument Valley, Arizona, Arizona Geological Survey, Retrieved 2024-08-27.

[8] Climate Summary for Kayenta, Arizona

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