Twin Peaks (Sangre de Cristo)

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Twin Peaks
Twin Peaks, Colorado.jpg
West aspect, centered
Highest point
Elevation 13,580 ft (4,140 m) [1]
Prominence 656 ft (200 m) [2]
Parent peak Ellingwood Point (14,048 ft) [2]
Isolation 1.20 mi (1.93 km) [2]
Coordinates 37°35′24″N105°31′09″W / 37.5900774°N 105.5190616°W / 37.5900774; -105.5190616 [3]
Geography
USA Colorado relief location map.svg
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
Twin Peaks
Location in Colorado
Usa edcp relief location map.png
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Twin Peaks
Twin Peaks (the United States)
CountryUnited States
State Colorado
County Alamosa
Protected area Sangre de Cristo Wilderness
Parent range Rocky Mountains
Sangre de Cristo Range [4]
Topo map USGS Twin Peaks
Geology
Mountain type Fault block
Climbing
Easiest route class 2 [2]

Twin Peaks is a mountain summit in Alamosa County, Colorado, United States.

Contents

Description

Twin Peaks is set in the Sangre de Cristo Range which is a subrange of the Rocky Mountains. It is the sixth-highest summit in Alamosa County and the 198th-highest in Colorado. [2] The north peak is the true summit at 13,580-feet-elevation (4,139 m) and is separated by one-quarter mile from the south peak (13,534-ft (4,125 m)). [1] The mountain is located 20 miles (32 km) east-northeast of the town of Alamosa in the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness, on land managed by Rio Grande National Forest. [4] Precipitation runoff from the mountain's slopes drains to the San Luis Valley via Zapata, Urraca, and Pioneer creeks. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises over 5,800 feet (1,768 m) above the valley in four miles (6.4 km). The mountain's toponym has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names. [3]

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Twin Peaks has an alpine climate with cold, snowy winters, and cool to warm summers. [5] Due to its altitude, it receives precipitation all year, as snow in winter and as thunderstorms in summer, with a dry period in late spring. Climbers can expect afternoon rain, hail, and lightning from the seasonal monsoon in late July and August.

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 Robert M. Ormes (2000), Guide to the Colorado Mountains, Colorado Mountain Club Press, ISBN   9780967146607, p. 122.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Twin Peaks, North – 13,584' CO". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  3. 1 2 "Twin Peaks". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  4. 1 2 "Twin Peaks, Colorado". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  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 (5): 1633. Bibcode:2007HESS...11.1633P. doi: 10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007 . ISSN   1027-5606.