Three Gossips

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Three Gossips
The Three Gossips in Arches National Park.jpg
East aspect
Highest point
Elevation 4,700 ft (1,433 m) [1]
Prominence 240 ft (73 m) [1]
Parent peak The Organ (4,735 ft) [1]
Isolation 0.28 mi (0.45 km) [1]
Coordinates 38°38′09″N109°36′11″W / 38.6358142°N 109.6031740°W / 38.6358142; -109.6031740 [2]
Geography
USA Utah relief location map.svg
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
Three Gossips
Location in Utah
Usa edcp relief location map.png
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
Three Gossips
Three Gossips (the United States)
CountryUnited States
State Utah
County Grand
Protected area Arches National Park
Parent range Colorado Plateau [3]
Topo map USGS The Windows Section
Geology
Rock age Jurassic
Rock type Entrada Sandstone [4]
Climbing
First ascent 1970
Easiest route class 5.7 climbing [1]

The Three Gossips is a 4,700-foot-elevation (1,433-meter) sandstone pillar in Grand County, Utah, United States.

Contents

Description

Three Gossips is located within Arches National Park and it is an iconic rock feature visible from the main park road at the Courthouse Towers area. Like many of the rock formations in the park, it is composed of Entrada Sandstone which formed between 180 and 140 million years ago. [5] [6] The tower is 350 feet tall, [7] and topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 500 feet (152 meters) above surrounding terrain in 0.15 miles (0.24 km). Precipitation runoff from Three Gossips drains to the nearby Colorado River via Courthouse Wash. The pillars were named for the shape of the rock which resembles three heads talking amongst themselves. [8] This landform's descriptive toponym has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names. [2] This landform was shown briefly in the opening scene credits of the 1989 American action adventure film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade .

Climbing

The first ascent of the summit was made in October 1970 by Allen Steck and Steve Roper via the class 5.11 West Face. [9]

Other rock-climbing routes on Three Gossips:

Argon Tower (left) and Three Gossips (right) The Three Gossips, Park Avenue, Arches National Park (68895594).jpg
Argon Tower (left) and Three Gossips (right)

Access

The formation can be seen from Courthouse Towers viewpoint and can be accessed through a short hike down into a large wash towards the east side of the pillars. [14]

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Three Gossips is located in a cold semi-arid climate zone with cold winters and hot summers. [15] Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to experience Arches National Park, when highs average 60 to 80 °F (15 to 25 °C) and lows average 30 to 50 °F (0 to 10 °C). Summer temperatures often exceed 100 °F (40 °C). Winters are cold, with highs averaging 30 to 50 °F (0 to 10 °C), and lows averaging 0 to 20 °F (−20 to −5 °C). As part of a high desert region, it can experience wide daily temperature fluctuations. The park receives an average of less than 10 inches (25 cm) of rain annually.

See also

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Three Gossips - 4,700' UT". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2024-09-07.
  2. 1 2 "Three Gossips". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved 2024-09-07.
  3. ↑ "Three Gossips, Utah". Peakbagger.com.
  4. ↑ Pages of Stone, Lucy Chronic, The Mountaineers Books, 2004, ISBN   9781594853180.
  5. ↑ The Geologic Story of Arches National Park, Stanley William Lohman, US Geological Survey, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1975.
  6. ↑ The Three Gossips, United States Geological Survey, August 1, 2023
  7. ↑ “The Three Gossips”, Summitpost.com, August 1, 2023, https://www.summitpost.org/the-three-gossips/154843
  8. ↑ Fodor's The Complete Guide to the National Parks of the USA: All 63 Parks from Maine to American Samoa, Fodor's Travel, 2021, ISBN   9781640974623.
  9. ↑ First Ascent Timeline, deserttowersbook.com, Retrieved 2024-09-07.
  10. ↑ Lyon Trautner Route, Mountain Project, Retrieved 2024-09-07.
  11. ↑ Be There or Be Talked About, Mountain Project, Retrieved 2024-09-07.
  12. ↑ Speak No Evil, Mountain Project, Retrieved 2024-09-07.
  13. ↑ North America, United States, Utah, Arches National Park, Eric BjØrnstad, 1995, americanalpineclub.org
  14. ↑ The Three Gossips, Getting There, Summitpost.com, August 1, 2023
  15. ↑ Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L. & McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11 (5): 1633–1644. Bibcode:2007HESS...11.1633P. doi: 10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007 . ISSN   1027-5606. S2CID   9654551.
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