Square Top

Last updated
Square Top
Square Top butte.jpg
Southeast aspect
Highest point
Elevation 7,412 ft (2,259 m) [1] [2]
Prominence 699 ft (213 m) [1]
Parent peak Peak 7628 [3]
Isolation 2.31 mi (3.72 km) [3]
Coordinates 38°46′28″N110°53′44″W / 38.7743502°N 110.8956237°W / 38.7743502; -110.8956237 [4]
Geography
USA Utah relief location map.svg
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
Square Top
Location in Utah
Usa edcp relief location map.png
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
Square Top
Square Top (the United States)
CountryUnited States
State Utah
County Emery
Parent range Colorado Plateau
San Rafael Swell [1]
Topo map USGS Copper Globe
Geology
Age of rock Triassic
Type of rock Sandstone
Climbing
Easiest route class 5.9 climbing [3]

Square Top is a 7,412-foot-elevation (2,259-meter) summit in Emery County, Utah, United States.

Contents

Description

Square Top is located 29 miles (47 km) north-northwest of Hanksville, Utah, in Reds Canyon of the San Rafael Swell on land managed by the US Bureau of Land Management. Precipitation runoff from this landform drains into Reds Canyon → Muddy CreekDirty Devil RiverColorado River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 1,200 feet (366 meters) above the canyon floor in 0.5 miles (0.80 km). Access is via Red Canyon Loop (County Road 1019). This landform's toponym has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names. [4]

Geology

Square Top is composed of Kayenta Formation overlaying cliff-forming Wingate Sandstone, which is the remains of wind-borne sand dunes deposited approximately 200 million years ago in the Late Triassic. Below the Wingate are strata of the upper and lower members of the slope-forming Chinle Formation, also of Late Triassic age. The Chinle overlies the Moody Canyon and Torrey members of the Moenkopi Formation (Early Triassic) which covers the surrounding terrain. [5] These rocks were uplifted during the Laramide Orogeny and subjected to forces of erosion which created the butte left standing today.

Climate

Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to visit Square Top. According to the Köppen climate classification system, it is located in a cold semi-arid climate zone, with temperatures averaging between 0 °F to 30 °F in January, and 50 °F to 100 °F in July. [6] Typical of high deserts, summer temperatures can be exceedingly hot, while winter temperatures can be very cold. Snowfall is common, but the snow melts rapidly in the arid and sunny climate. Rainfall is very low, and the evaporation rate classifies the area as desert, even though the rainfall exceeds 10 inches.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Square Top, Utah". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
  2. Square Top, National Geodetic Survey Data Sheet, ID=JN0495, Retrieved 2024-09-23.
  3. 1 2 3 "Square Top - 7,408' UT". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
  4. 1 2 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Square Top
  5. Geologic Map of the San Rafael Desert 30' X 60' Quadrangle, Emery and Grand Counties, Utah, Hellmut H. Doelling, 2015, Utah Geological Survey.
  6. Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L. & McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrology and Earth System Sciences. 11 (5): 1633–1644. Bibcode:2007HESS...11.1633P. doi: 10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007 . ISSN   1027-5606. S2CID   9654551.