Round Rock (Apache County, Arizona)

Last updated
Round Rock
Round Rock, Arizona.jpg
South aspect
Highest point
Elevation 6,310 ft (1,923 m) [1] [2]
Prominence 920 ft (280 m) [1]
Parent peak Matthews Peak (9,550 ft) [1]
Isolation 10.59 mi (17.04 km) [1]
Coordinates 36°29′53″N109°33′17″W / 36.4981437°N 109.5547256°W / 36.4981437; -109.5547256 [3]
Naming
Native nameTsé Nikání (Navajo)
Geography
USA Arizona relief location map.svg
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Round Rock
Location in Arizona
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Round Rock
Round Rock (the United States)
Location Navajo Reservation
Apache County, Arizona, U.S.
Parent range Colorado Plateau [2]
Topo map USGS Many Farms NE
Geology
Rock age Late Triassic
Mountain type Mesa
Rock type Wingate Sandstone
Climbing
Easiest route class 5.x climbing [1]

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

Contents

Description

Round Rock is located 4.5 miles (7.2 km) west of the community of Round Rock on Navajo Nation land, and can be seen from Highway 191. Round Rock is a mesa composed of cliff-forming Triassic Wingate Sandstone overlaying slope-forming Chinle Formation. [4] [5] Little Round Rock is a 6,113-foot-elevation (1,863-meter) butte less than two miles to the north. [6] Precipitation runoff from this irregularly-shaped mesa's slopes drains into Agua Sal Wash and Chinle Wash which are part of the San Juan River drainage basin. [2] Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 700 feet (213 meters) above the surrounding terrain of Chinle Valley in one-quarter mile (0.4 km). The nearest higher neighbor is Los Gigantes Buttes, 10.5 miles (16.9 km) to the northeast. [1] [2] The landform's toponym was officially adopted on April 7, 1915, by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. [3] The Navajo call the mesa Tsé Nikání which means round flat-topped rock. [3] [7] According to legend, the Navajo used Round Rock as a fortress to escape from foes, by climbing it with braided ropes made out of yucca, then hauled the ropes up to leave their enemies behind. [8] However, a different story claims that Navajos do not climb the sacred rock out of fear of punishment from lightning, snakes, bears, or whirlwinds. [9]

Climate

Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to visit Round Rock. 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. [10]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Round Rock - 6,310' AZ". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2024-10-31.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Round Rock, Arizona". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2024-10-31.
  3. 1 2 3 "Round Rock". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved 2024-10-31.
  4. ↑ Geologic Map of Navajo and Apache Counties, Arizona, Eldred D. Wilson, 1960, Arizona Geological Survey, Retrieved 2024-10-31.
  5. ↑ Stratigraphy of the Uppermost Triassic and the Jurassic Rocks of the Navajo Country, J.W. Harshbarger, USGS, 1957, p. 8.
  6. ↑ "Little Round Rock". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved 2024-10-31.
  7. ↑ Peter Iverson, Diné: A History of the Navajos, UNM Press, 2002, ISBN   9780826327154, p. 88.
  8. ↑ Cindy Yurth, Navajo Times, Retrieved 2024-10-31.
  9. ↑ Diné Bikéyah, Richard F. Van Valkenburgh, Office of Indian Affairs, US Department of the Interior, 1941, p. 127.
  10. ↑ Climate Summary for Kayenta, Arizona
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