Sierra Blanca (Texas)

Last updated
Sierra Blanca
Sierra Blanca in Texas.jpg
Southwest aspect, from Interstate 10
Highest point
Elevation 6,892 ft (2,101 m) [1] [2]
Prominence 2,254 ft (687 m) [1]
Isolation 26.82 mi (43.16 km) [3]
Coordinates 31°15′08″N105°26′09″W / 31.2521271°N 105.4358751°W / 31.2521271; -105.4358751 [2]
Naming
Etymology White Mountain
Geography
Relief map of Texas.png
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
Sierra Blanca
Location of Sierra Blanca in Texas
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Sierra Blanca
Sierra Blanca (the United States)
CountryUnited States
State Texas
County Hudspeth
Parent range Sierra Blanca [1] [4]
Topo map USGS Gunsight Hills South
Geology
Rock age Oligocene
Mountain type Laccolith [5]
Rock type Intrusive igneous rock (Rhyolite)
Climbing
Easiest route class 2 hiking [3]

Sierra Blanca is a 6,892-foot-elevation (2,101-meter) summit in Hudspeth County, Texas, United States.

Contents

Description

Sierra Blanca is set in the Chihuahuan Desert, six miles (9.7 km) northwest of the town of Sierra Blanca which is named after this mountain. [6] The volcanic peak ranks as the highest point in the Sierra Blanca range, [1] [4] the sixth-highest summit in the county and 54th-highest in the state. [3] It is a prominent landmark along Interstate 10 in Texas, as it is ranked 10th in topographic prominence in the state. [1] [3] Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 2,400 feet (732 m) above the surrounding terrain in two miles (3.2 km). The mountain is a laccolith composed of late Oligocene rhyolite which intruded sedimentary layers of limestone, shale, and sandstone of Cretaceous age. [5] Based on the Köppen climate classification, the mountain is located in a hot arid climate zone with hot summers and mild winters. [7] Any scant precipitation runoff from the peak's slopes drains to the Rio Grande which is less than 20 miles to the southwest. The mountain's Spanish name translates as "White Mountain" which is attributable to white flowers which grow on the slopes, [8] [9] and may have been so named by the Spanish explorer, Francisco Vázquez de Coronado. [10] The mountain's toponym has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names, [2] and has been reported in publications since at least 1890. [11] However, the town is named after the mountain, and the town was founded in 1881 at the completion point of a southern transcontinental railway southeast of the mountain where a silver spike was laid. [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Sierra Blanca, Texas". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  2. 1 2 3 "Sierra Blanca". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Sierra Blanca - 6,891' TX". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  4. 1 2 Sierra Blanca, Texas State Historical Association, Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  5. 1 2 Geology and Mineralization of the Sierra Blanca Peaks, W.N. McAnulty, 1980, p. 263–265.
  6. ↑ Larry D. Hodge, Backroads of Texas: The Sites, Scenes, History, People, and Places Your Map Doesn't Tell You About, Taylor Trade Publications, 2000, ISBN   9780891230533, p. 165.
  7. ↑ 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.
  8. ↑ Bill Wright, The Whole Damn Cheese: Maggie Smith, Border Legend, Texas A&M University Press, 2019, ISBN   9780875657073.
  9. ↑ Sierra Blanca, Texas | Old West Texas Town & Joining of Railroads, March 2, 2017, Nuttyhiker.com, Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  10. ↑ "Texas Legacy Project: Conservation Archive and Documentary: Transcript: Bill Addington". TexasLegacy.org. 2001-03-28. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  11. ↑ First Annual Report of the Geological Survey of Texas, 1889, E.T. Dumble, Geological Survey of Texas, State Printing Office, 1890, p. 219.
  12. ↑ "Sierra Blanca, TX". The Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
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