Terra Tower

Last updated
Terra Tower
Terra Tower.jpg
Northeast aspect
Highest point
Elevation 5,790 ft (1,760 m) [1]
Prominence 60 ft (18 m) [1]
Parent peak Black Ridge [1]
Isolation 3.76 mi (6.05 km) [1]
Coordinates 39°04′12″N108°40′40″W / 39.0699°N 108.6777°W / 39.0699; -108.6777
Geography
USA Colorado relief location map.svg
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Terra Tower
Location in Colorado
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Terra Tower
Terra Tower (the United States)
Location Colorado National Monument
Mesa County, Colorado, U.S.
Parent range Colorado Plateau
Uncompahgre Plateau
Topo map USGS Colorado National Monument
Geology
Age of rock Late Triassic to Early Jurassic [2]
Type of rock Wingate Sandstone
Climbing
First ascent 1979
Easiest route class 5.11 climbing

Terra Tower is a 5,790-foot-elevation (1,760-meter) sandstone pillar located in Colorado National Monument, in Mesa County of western Colorado, United States. [3] This 350-foot-high tower is situated on the Redlands escarpment, approximately seven miles west of the community of Grand Junction. Topographic relief is significant as it rises 1,000 feet (300 meters) above the Tiara Rado Golf Course in approximately one-half mile. The first ascent of the summit was made in 1979 by Harvey Carter and Tom Merrill via the class 5.11 route, Way Bazaar.

Contents

Geology

This tower is the remnant of a differentially eroded fin composed primarily of cliff-forming Wingate Sandstone, which consists of wind-borne, cross-bedded quartzose sandstones deposited as ancient sand dunes approximately 200 million years ago in the Late Triassic. The caprock at the summit consists of fluvial sandstones of the resistant Kayenta Formation. The slope around the base of Terra Tower is Chinle Formation. [4] Precipitation runoff from this geographical feature drains to the Colorado River, approximately two miles to the northeast.

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Terra Tower is located in a semi-arid climate zone. [5] Summers are hot and dry, while winters are cold with some snow. Temperatures reach 100 °F (38 °C) on 5.3 days, 90 °F (32 °C) on 57 days, and remain at or below freezing on 13 days annually. The months April through October offer the most favorable weather to visit.

Climbing

Established rock climbing routes on Terra Tower: [6]

See also

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Pipe Organ is a 5,731-foot-elevation (1,747-meter) sandstone pillar located in Colorado National Monument, in Mesa County of western Colorado, United States. This 400+ foot tower is situated in Wedding Canyon, less than one-half mile east of the monument's visitor center, and 9 miles (14 km) west of the community of Grand Junction. It is also immediately northwest of another popular climbing destination, Independence Monument, and both can be seen from viewpoints along Rim Rock Drive. The first ascent of the summit was made January 31, 1961, by John Auld, Gary Ziegler, Jim Dyson, and John Kuglin. Pipe Organ has a subsidiary summit unofficially named Organ Pipe Spire on the east aspect, which the National Park Service refers to as Praying Hands. This 325-foot-high subsidiary peak was originally named Squall Spire in 1976 by Harvey T. Carter of the first ascent party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sentinel Spire</span>

Sentinel Spire is a 5,500-foot-elevation (1,700-meter) sandstone pillar located in Colorado National Monument, in Mesa County of western Colorado, United States. This 200-foot freestanding tower is situated in Wedding Canyon, one-half mile east of the monument's visitor center, and 9 miles (14 km) west of the community of Grand Junction. It is also immediately south of Window Rock, and north of another climbing destination, Pipe Organ, both of which can be seen from viewpoints along Rim Rock Drive. The first ascent of the summit was made May 3, 1960, by Layton Kor, Harvey Carter, and John Auld via the class 5.10 route, Fast Draw. This was the day before the climbers also made the first ascent of nearby Kissing Couple. The first solo ascent was made by Ron Olevsky in March 1976, and the first free ascent was made by Andy Petefish and John Christenson in 1978. Some climbers refer to Sentinel Spire as Watusi Spear.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand View Spire</span> Sandstone formation in Colorado

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coxcomb Peak (Colorado)</span> Mountain in the state of Colorado

Coxcomb Peak is a 13,656-foot-elevation (4,162-meter) mountain summit located on the common boundary of Hinsdale County and Ouray County, in Colorado, United States. It is situated nine miles northeast of the community of Ouray, in the Uncompahgre Wilderness, on land managed by Uncompahgre National Forest. It is part of the San Juan Mountains which are a subset of the Rocky Mountains, and is situated west of the Continental Divide. Coxcomb ranks as the 171st-highest peak in Colorado, and topographic relief is significant as the south aspect rises 2,000 feet above Wetterhorn Basin in approximately one mile, and 4,400 feet above Cow Creek in three miles. Neighbors include Precipice Peak 2.7 miles to the north, Redcliff one-half mile north, Matterhorn Peak 2.3 miles to the east-southeast, and nearest higher neighbor Wetterhorn Peak 1.8 mile to the southeast. The mountain's descriptive name, which has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names, was in use since at least 1906 when Henry Gannett published it in the Gazetteer of Colorado.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Terra Tower - 5,790' CO". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2021-07-15.
  2. Geologic Formations, National Park Service
  3. Stewart M. Green, 2019, Rock Climbing Colorado A Guide to More Than 1,800 Routes, Falcon Guides, ISBN   9781493037353, page 463.
  4. Stanley William Lohman, The Geologic Story of Colorado National Monument, Geological Survey Bulletin 1508, pages 28-30.
  5. 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.
  6. Stewart M. Green, 2019, Rock Climbing Colorado A Guide to More Than 1,800 Routes, Falcon Guides, ISBN   9781493037353, page 465.