Wright Mountain (Texas)

Wright Mountain
North aspect
Highest point
Elevation	6,031 ft (1,838 m) [1]
Prominence	209 ft (64 m) [1]
Parent peak	Panther Peak (6,418 ft) [2]
Isolation	0.63 mi (1.01 km) [2]
Coordinates	29°17′44″N103°13′33″W / 29.2954782°N 103.2257288°W / 29.2954782; -103.2257288 [3]
Naming
Etymology	George Melendez Wright
Geography
Wright Mountain Location of Wright Mountain in Texas Show map of Texas Wright Mountain Wright Mountain (the United States) Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Brewster
Protected area	Big Bend National Park [1]
Parent range	Chisos Mountains [1]
Topo map	USGS Panther Junction
Geology
Rock age	Oligocene [4]
Rock type	Extrusive igneous rock [4]
Climbing
Easiest route	class 5.x [2]

Wright Mountain is a 6,031-foot-elevation (1,838-meter) summit in Brewster County, Texas, United States.

Description

Wright Mountain is set within Big Bend National Park, the Chihuahuan Desert, and the Chisos Mountains. The mountain is composed of volcanic rock which formed during the Oligocene period. ^[4] Although modest in elevation, topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 1,800 feet (549 m) above the surrounding terrain in one mile (1.6 km). Based on the Köppen climate classification, Wright Mountain is located in a hot arid climate zone with hot summers and mild winters. ^[5] Any scant precipitation runoff from the mountain's slopes drains northeast to Tornillo Creek which is a tributary of the Rio Grande. The lower slopes of the peak are covered by juniper, oak, and piñon. The mountain's toponym was officially adopted in 1948 by the United States Board on Geographic Names to honor George Melendez Wright (1904–1936), an American biologist who conceived of, then conducted, the first scientific survey of fauna for the National Park Service between 1929 and 1933. ^{[3] [6]} He advanced quickly with the National Park Service, in 1933 becoming the first leader of the agency's new Wildlife Division. In 1936, Wright was part of an international commission to investigate the potential values of a protected area to straddle the Rio Grande area of Texas and Mexico. The report was enthusiastic and the commission endorsed the national park idea. Tragically, George Wright and Roger Toll were killed in a car accident on their return from Texas. Toll and Wright Mountains were named in their memory. ^[7]

See also

• List of mountain peaks of Texas
• Geography of Texas

Gallery

• 
  Northeast aspect
• 
  Wright Mountain (left), Panther Peak (right)
• 
  Pummel Peak (left) and Wright Mountain
• 
  George Wright in airplane costume photographed by his friend Roger Toll in 1936. On February 25, 1936, both Toll and Wright were killed in an automobile accident near Deming, New Mexico. International Park Commission, Big Bend, Texas.

References

1. "Wright Mountain, Texas". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
2. "Wright Mountain - 6,041' TX". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
3. "Wright Mountain". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved 2024-11-18.
4. Geologic Map of the Chisos Mountains, Big Bend National Park, Texas, Robert G. Bohannon, 2011, U.S. Geological Survey.
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. United States Board on Geographic Names, Decision Lists October, November, December, 1948.
7. Texas' Gift to the Nation: The Establishment of Big Bend National Park, National Park Service, Retrieved 2024-11-18.

External links

• Wright Mountain: Weather