Lizard Head
Lizard Head is a mountain summit in the San Miguel Mountains range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The is located in the Lizard Head Wilderness, west by south (Absolute bearing, bearing 258°) of the town of Ophir, Colorado, United States, on the drainage divide separating San Juan National Forest and Dolores County, Colorado, Dolores County from Uncompahgre National Forest and San Miguel County, Colorado, San Miguel County. Mountain Lizard Head lies just southeast of a group of three Colorado fourteeners (mountains over 14,00 feet high), Mount Wilson (Colorado), Mount Wilson, Wilson Peak, and El Diente Peak. Lizard Head is only the 556th highest peak in Colorado by most standard definitions, but its towering spire-like form makes it one of the most spectacular. Lizard Head lies northwest of Colorado State Highway 145 at Lizard Head Pass. Lizards Head Trail climbs west from Trout Lake (Colorado), Trout Lake along Black Face Mountain ridge and past the south face of ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Sea Level Datum Of 1929
The National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 is the official name since 1973 of the vertical datum established for vertical control surveying in the United States, United States of America by the General Adjustment of 1929. Originally known as Sea Level Datum of 1929, NGVD 29 was determined and published by the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey and used to measure the elevation of a point above and Depression (geology), depression below mean sea level (MSL). NGVD29 was superseded by the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88), based upon reference to a single benchmark (referenced to the new International Great Lakes Datum of 1985 local mean sea level height value), although many cities and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers "legacy" projects with established data continued to use the older datum. Methodology Mean sea level was measured at 26 tide gauges: 21 in the United States and five in Canada. The datum was defined by the observed heights of mean sea level at the ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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San Juan National Forest
The San Juan National Forest is a U.S. National Forest covering over 1,878,846 acres (2,935.7 sq mi, or 7,603.42 km²) in western Colorado. The forest occupies land in Archuleta, Conejos, Dolores, Hinsdale, La Plata, Mineral, Montezuma, Rio Grande, San Miguel and San Juan Counties. It borders the Uncompahgre National Forest to the north and the Rio Grande National Forest to the east. The forest covers most of the southern portion of the San Juan Mountains west of the Continental Divide. The forest contains two alpine wilderness areas; the Weminuche and South San Juan, as well as the Piedra Area. The Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad passes through the National Forest. The name of the forest comes from the San Juan River, which was originally called the Rio San Juan, after Saint John the Baptist (San Juan Bautista in Spanish). History Theodore Roosevelt created the forest by proclamation on June 3, 1905. Forest headquarters are located in D ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Oligocene
The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch (geology), epoch of the Paleogene Geologic time scale, Period that extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the epoch are slightly uncertain. The name Oligocene was coined in 1854 by the German paleontologist Heinrich Ernst Beyrich from his studies of marine beds in Belgium and Germany. The name comes from Ancient Greek (''olígos'') 'few' and (''kainós'') 'new', and refers to the sparsity of Neontology, extant forms of Mollusca, molluscs. The Oligocene is preceded by the Eocene Epoch and is followed by the Miocene Epoch. The Oligocene is the third and final epoch of the Paleogene Period. The Oligocene is often considered an important time of transition, a link between the archaic world of the tropical Eocene and the more modern ecosystems of the Miocene. Major chang ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ash Flow
A pyroclastic flow (also known as a pyroclastic density current or a pyroclastic cloud) is a fast-moving current of hot volcanic gas, gas and volcanic matter (collectively known as tephra) that flows along the ground away from a volcano at average speeds of but is capable of reaching speeds up to . The gases and tephra can reach temperatures of about . Pyroclastic flows are the deadliest of all volcanic hazards and are produced as a result of certain explosive eruptions; they normally touch the ground and hurtle downhill or spread laterally under gravity. Their speed depends upon the density of the current, the volcanic output rate, and the gradient of the slope. Origin of term The word ''pyroclast'' is derived from the Greek language, Greek (''pýr''), meaning "fire", and (''klastós''), meaning "broken in pieces". A name for pyroclastic flows that glow red in the dark is (French, "burning cloud"); this was notably used to describe the disastrous 1902 eruption of Mount Pel� ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Extrusive
Extrusive rock refers to the mode of igneous volcanic rock formation in which hot magma from inside the Earth flows out (extrudes) onto the surface as lava or explodes violently into the atmosphere to fall back as pyroclastics or tuff. In contrast, intrusive rock refers to rocks formed by magma which cools below the surface.Jain, Sreepat (2014). ''Fundamentals of Physical Geology''. New Delhi, India: Springer. . The main effect of extrusion is that the magma can cool much more quickly in the open air or under seawater, and there is little time for the growth of crystals. Sometimes, a residual portion of the matrix fails to crystallize at all, instead becoming a natural glass like obsidian. If the magma contains abundant volatile components which are released as free gas, then it may cool with large or small vesicles (bubble-shaped cavities) such as in pumice, scoria, or vesicular basalt. Other examples of extrusive rocks are rhyolite and andesite. Texture The texture o ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Volcanic Plug
A volcanic plug, also called a volcanic neck or lava neck, is a volcano, volcanic object created when magma hardens within a Volcanic vent, vent on an active volcano. When present, a plug can cause an extreme build-up of high gas pressure if rising Volatile (astrogeology)#Igneous petrology, volatile-charged magma is trapped beneath it, and this can sometimes lead to an explosive eruption. In a plinian eruption the plug is destroyed and ash is ejected. Glaciation, Glacial erosion can lead to exposure of the plug on one side, while a long slope of material remains on the opposite side. Such landforms are called crag and tail. If a plug is preserved, erosion may remove the surrounding rock while the erosion-resistant plug remains, producing a distinctive upstanding landform. Examples of volcanic plugs Africa Near the village of Rhumsiki in the Far North Region (Cameroon), Far North Province of Cameroon, Kapsiki Peak is an example of a volcanic plug and is one of the most phot ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Rio Grande Southern Railroad
The Rio Grande Southern Railroad (reporting mark RGS, also referred to as "The Southern") was a 3 ft gauge railways, 3 ft (914 mm) Narrow gauge railways, narrow-gauge railroad which ran in the southwestern region of the United States, US state of Colorado, from the towns of Durango, Colorado, Durango to Ridgway, Colorado, Ridgway, routed via Lizard Head Pass. Built by German immigrant and Colorado toll road builder Otto Mears, the RGS operated from 1891 through 1951 and was built with the intent to transport immense amounts of silver mineral traffic that were being produced by the mining communities of Rico, Colorado, Rico and Telluride, Colorado, Telluride. On both ends of the railroad, there were interchanges with The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad (reporting mark D&RG(W), later known as the Denver and Rio Grande Western), which would ship the traffic the RGS hauled elsewhere like the The Durango smelter, San Juan Smelter in Durango. For the first few years of its life, t ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Trout Lake (Colorado)
Trout Lake is a lake located in southeast San Miguel County, Colorado, in Uncompahgre National Forest. Trout Lake is a 15-minute drive from Ophir via Colorado State Highway 145 and a 20-minute drive from Telluride. History Trout Lake was originally explored by American fur- trappers and pioneers, who often used the lake as a stopping point for their expeditions. The population of Trout Lake grew after the construction of the Rio Grande Southern Railroad and the nearby Ames Hydroelectric Generating Plant in the 1890s. Early history While it is unknown if Spanish, Mexican, or Native American explorers reached Trout Lake previously, the first record of Trout Lake was taken by an American fur trapping expedition. In the spring of 1831, the St. Louis Fur Company employed a party of 60 men under the command of Colonel William G Walton to trap beavers and other fur-bearing animals along the headwaters of the San Juan River. The party spent the summer of 1833 in the valley of th ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Lizard Head Pass
Lizard Head Pass, elevation , is a mountain pass in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado, on the border between Dolores and San Miguel counties. It is also on the divide between the watersheds of the Dolores River and San Miguel River. The pass lies in the saddle between Lizard Head and Sheep Mountain. History The pass is named for a prominent nearby peak, the spire of Lizard Head. The pass is currently traversed by State Highway 145, about 12 miles south of the Telluride turnoff. It was also used by the historic Rio Grande Southern Railroad The Rio Grande Southern Railroad (reporting mark RGS, also referred to as "The Southern") was a 3 ft gauge railways, 3 ft (914 mm) Narrow gauge railways, narrow-gauge railroad which ran in the southwestern region of the United States, US s ... until 1952. Although the grades on both sides of the pass are mild for automobile traffic, this was a significant obstacle for the railroad, and this was a factor leading to the use of th ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Colorado State Highway 145
State Highway 145 (SH 145) is a state highway in western Colorado. It runs for between U.S. Route 160 (US 160) in Cortez and SH 141 near Naturita. Route description The route begins in the south at its intersection with US 160 in the eastern portion of the city of Cortez. The route winds northward through the towns of Dolores, Rico The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization. RICO was ..., Sawpit, Placerville, Norwood, and Redvale before terminating at the junction with SH 141 about east of Naturita. Just north of its midpoint between Rico and Sawpit, the road also passes very near and provides access to the town of Telluride as well as Trout Lake. History On May 24, 2019, a large boulder fell onto a section of SH-145 near Dolores and covered th ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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El Diente Peak
El Diente Peak is a high summit in the San Juan Mountains range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The peak is located in the Lizard Head Wilderness of San Juan National Forest, north by east ( bearing 8°) of the Town of Rico in Dolores County, Colorado, United States. "El Diente" is Spanish for "The Tooth", a reference to the shape of the peak. Climbing The topographic prominence of El Diente Peak is only , so by a strict cutoff rule, it would not be counted as a separate peak from its higher neighbor Mount Wilson. However, the 3/4 mile (1.2 km) connecting ridge is a significant climbing challenge ( Class 4/5), making El Diente more independent than its prominence would indicate. Hence, it is often regarded as a full-fledged fourteener. El Diente is one of the more dramatic peaks in Colorado in terms of local relief and steepness. As a result, it is one of the most challenging climbs among Colorado's fourteeners. All routes involve at least class 3 scra ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Wilson Peak
Wilson Peak is a mountain peak in the U.S. state of Colorado. It is located in the Lizard Head Wilderness of the Uncompahgre National Forest, in the northwestern San Juan Mountains. It is the highest point in San Miguel County, Colorado, San Miguel County, and the highest point of the Wilson massif, which includes nearby Mount Wilson (Colorado), Mount Wilson and El Diente Peak. The mountain was named for A.D. Wilson, the chief topographer with the Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden, Hayden Survey. Nearby Mount Wilson (Colorado), Mount Wilson also honors him. The original indigenous name for the mountain was Shandoka, which translates to "Storm Maker", a reference to the peak's effect on local weather patterns. Geography Wilson Peak is in the western part of the San Juan Mountains. The western San Juans are also known as the San Miguel Mountains or the Wilson Massif. Two additional fourteener, fourteen thousand foot peaks are within of its summit: Mount Wilson (Colorado), Mount Wilson ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |