Coke Ovens (Colorado National Monument) Explained

Coke Ovens
Elevation Ft:5962
Elevation Ref:[1]
Prominence Ft:72
Isolation Mi:1.51
Parent Peak:Black Ridge
Map:Colorado#USA
Map Size:260
Label Position:bottom
Country:United States
State:Colorado
Region:Mesa
Region Type:County
Part Type:Protected area
Part:Colorado National Monument
Range:Colorado Plateau
Uncompahgre Plateau
Coordinates:39.0755°N -108.7223°W
Coordinates Ref:[2]
Topo:USGS Colorado National Monument
Rock:Wingate Sandstone
Age:Late Triassic to Early Jurassic[3]

Coke Ovens is a 5,962-foot-elevation (1,817-meter) linear set of pillars located in Colorado National Monument, in Mesa County of western Colorado, United States.[2] This iconic landmark is situated on the west side of Monument Canyon, two miles south of the monument's visitor center, and west of the community of Grand Junction. It is also one mile south of Kissing Couple, and both can be seen from viewpoints along Rim Rock Drive. It is so named because the rounded shape resembles beehive coke ovens that were used in the nineteenth century to convert bituminous coal into coke, which was then used for smelting iron.[4]

Geology

This feature is the remnant of differentially eroded 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 top of one of the four pillars consists of fluvial sandstones of the resistant Kayenta Formation. The slope around the base of the Coke Ovens is Chinle Formation.[5] The floor of the canyon is Precambrian basement rock consisting of gneiss, schist, and granites. Precipitation runoff from this geographical feature drains to the Colorado River, approximately four miles to the northeast.

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Coke Ovens is located in a semi-arid climate zone.[6] Summers are hot and dry, while winters are cold with some snow. Temperatures reach 100°F on 5.3 days, 90°F 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.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Coke Ovens – 5,962' CO. listsofjohn.com. 2021-03-29.
  2. 174529. Coke Ovens. 2021-03-29.
  3. https://www.nps.gov/colm/learn/nature/geologic-formations.htm Geologic Formations, National Park Service
  4. Stanley William Lohman, The Geologic Story of Colorado National Monument, Geological Survey Bulletin 1508, page 30.
  5. Stanley William Lohman, The Geologic Story of Colorado National Monument, Geological Survey Bulletin 1508, page 30.
  6. Peel, M. C. . Finlayson, B. L. . McMahon, T. A. . 2007 . Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification . Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. . 11 . 1027-5606.