Tower Butte Explained

Tower Butte
Elevation Ft:5287
Elevation Ref:[1]
Prominence Ft:977
Isolation Mi:4.22
Isolation Ref:[2]
Parent Peak:Point 5408
Map:Arizona#USA
Map Size:230
Label Position:bottom
Location:Navajo Reservation
Coconino County, Arizona, U.S.
Range:Colorado Plateau
Coordinates:36.9698°N -111.3097°W
Coordinates Ref:[3]
Topo:USGS Wild Horse Mesa
Rock:Entrada Sandstone
Age:Jurassic
First Ascent:October 23, 1994
Easiest Route: climbing

Tower Butte is a 5,287-foot (1,611 meter) elevation sandstone summit located south of Lake Powell, in northern Arizona. Tower Butte is a butte composed of Romana and Entrada Sandstones with a Morrison Formation caprock.[4] It is situated northeast of the town of Page, and 7.5 miles (12.1 km) north of LeChee Rock, on Navajo Nation land, towering over 1,000 feet above the surrounding terrain as an iconic landmark of the area. Precipitation runoff from this feature drains into Lake Powell, which is part of the Colorado River drainage basin. The first ascent of Tower Butte was made October 23, 1994, by Jason Keith and David Insley.[5] However, they were not the first to visit the summit as they reported finding litter from prior helicopter landings. An outfit operating out of Page flies helicopter sightseeing flights which land on the flat top of the butte where tourists have panoramic views of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Lake Powell, and Navajo Mountain.

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Tower Butte is located in an arid climate zone with hot, very dry summers, and chilly winters with very little snow. It is located in the southern edge of the Great Basin Desert on the Colorado Plateau. Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to visit.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. 3916. Tower Butte, Arizona . 2020-10-11.
  2. Web site: Tower Butte - 5,282' AZ. listsofjohn.com. 2020-10-11.
  3. 12657. Tower Butte. 2020-10-11.
  4. http://www.lakepowell.org/documents/Lake%20Powell%20Geologic%20Guide.pdf T.C. Chidsey, Jr., D.A. Sprinkel, G.C. Willis, P.B. Anderson Lake Powell Geologic Guide, page 63
  5. https://books.google.com/books?id=bGmGKqbwe14C&dq=Tower+Butte+first+ascent&pg=PA165 1995 American Alpine Journal, page 165