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Spearhead Mesa
Spearhead Mesa is a summit in Navajo County, Arizona, United States. Description Spearhead Mesa is situated southeast of the Monument Valley visitor center on Navajo Nation land. The nearest higher neighbor is the iconic East Mitten Butte, to the north-northwest. Precipitation runoff from this mesa's slopes drains into Gypsum Creek which is a tributary of the San Juan River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises above the surrounding terrain in one-quarter mile (0.4 km). The landform's toponym has been officially adopted by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. The spearhead name refers to a sandstone spire above Artist Point that resembles the spear of an arrow. Geology Spearhead Mesa is a mesa composed of three principal strata. The bottom layer is slope-forming Organ Rock Shale, the next stratum is cliff-forming De Chelly Sandstone, and the upper layer is Moenkopi Formation with a Shinarump Conglomerate caprock. The rock ranges in age from Permian at ...
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Mitchell Mesa
Mitchell Mesa is a summit in Navajo County, Arizona, Navajo County, Arizona, United States. Description Mitchell Mesa is situated south of the Monument Valley visitor center on Navajo Nation land and can be seen from U.S. Route 163, Highway 163. The large, irregularly-shaped mesa is southwest of the iconic West and East Mitten Buttes. Precipitation runoff from this mesa's west slope drains to Mitchell Butte Wash, whereas the east slope drains to West Gypsum Creek, which are both part of the San Juan River (Colorado River tributary), San Juan River drainage basin. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises above the surrounding terrain in one-half mile (0.8 km). The nearest higher neighbor is Eagle Mesa, to the north. The Navajo consider Mitchell Mesa as one of the "door posts" to Monument Valley, with the other being Sentinel Mesa. The landform's toponym has been officially adopted by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. The Mitchell name refers to Hearndon Mitc ...
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Moenkopi Formation
The Moenkopi Formation is a geological formation that is spread across the U.S. states of New Mexico, northern Arizona, Nevada, southeastern California, eastern Utah and western Colorado. This unit is considered to be a Geological unit, group in Arizona. Part of the Colorado Plateau and Basin and Range Province, Basin and Range, this red sandstone was laid down in the Early Triassic, Lower Triassic and possibly part of the Middle Triassic, around 240 million years ago. History of investigation There is no designated Type locality (geology), type locality for this formation. It was named for a development at the mouth of Moencopie Wash in the Grand Canyon area by Ward in 1901. In 1917 a 'substitute' type locality was located by Gregory in the wall of the Little Colorado Canyon, about 5 miles below Tanner Crossing in Coconino County, Arizona. While in the Great Basin, Bassler and Reeside characterized and named the Rock Canyon Conglomerate, Virgin Limestone, and Shnabkaib Shale ...
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Landforms Of Navajo County, Arizona
A landform is a land feature on the solid surface of the Earth or other planetary body. They may be natural or may be anthropogenic (caused or influenced by human activity). Landforms together make up a given terrain, and their arrangement in the landscape is known as topography. Landforms include hills, mountains, canyons, and valleys, as well as shoreline features such as bays, peninsulas, and seas, including submerged features such as mid-ocean ridges, volcanoes, and the great oceanic basins. Physical characteristics Landforms are categorized by characteristic physical attributes such as elevation, slope, orientation, structure stratification, rock exposure, and soil type. Gross physical features or landforms include intuitive elements such as berms, cliffs, hills, mounds, peninsulas, ridges, rivers, valleys, volcanoes, and numerous other structural and size-scaled (e.g. ponds vs. lakes, hills vs. mountains) elements including various kinds of inland and oceanic waterbodi ...
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Merrick Butte
Merrick Butte is a butte located in Monument Valley Monument Valley (, , meaning "valley of the rocks") is a region of the Colorado Plateau characterized by a cluster of sandstone buttes, with the largest reaching above the valley floor. The most famous butte formations are located in northeas ...Mitten Buttes Quadrangle, Arizona-Utah, 7.5 Minute Series, US Geological Survey, 1738 ed. and is part of the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, similar to its neighbors West and East Mitten Buttes just to the north.''Arizona Atlas & Gazetteer,'' De Lorme, 4th ed., 2001, p. 26 It was named after silver miner Jack Merrick, killed by Native Americans in 1880. References External links * {{commons category-inline, Merrick Butte Buttes of Arizona Landforms of Navajo County, Arizona ...
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Rain God Mesa
Rain God Mesa is a summit in Navajo County, Arizona, United States. Description Rain God Mesa is situated southeast of the Monument Valley visitor center on Navajo Nation land. Precipitation runoff from this mesa's slopes drains into Gypsum Creek which is a tributary of the San Juan River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises above the surrounding terrain in one-quarter mile (0.4 km). The nearest higher neighbor is Elephant Butte, to the north-northwest. The landform's toponym has been officially adopted by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. The name refers to Navajo medicine men praying and giving thanks to the Rain God, who provides water. Streaks from water that seeps out at the base of the sandstone can be seen on the south side of the mesa. Geology Rain God Mesa is a mesa composed of three principal strata. The bottom layer is slope-forming Organ Rock Shale, the next stratum is cliff-forming De Chelly Sandstone, and the upper layer is Moenkopi F ...
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Totem Pole (Monument Valley)
The Totem Pole is a pillar or rock spire found in Monument Valley. It is a highly eroded remnant of a butte. Deserts at the end of the Permian period, 260 million years ago, formed the De Chelly and Wingate Sandstones that make up the buttes, totems, and mesas in Monument Valley. The Totem Pole rises next to a gathering of thicker spires the Navajo called Yei Bi Chei and can be seen via a self-guided Valley Drive. Rock climbing The Totem Pole was first climbed June 11–13, 1957 by Bill Feuerer, Jerry Gallwas, Mark Powell and Don Wilson. The first ascent route is rated 5.10 YDS A2 in the Yosemite Decimal System. A second route called "Never Never Land" was climbed in 1979. Parts of the 1975 thriller film ''The Eiger Sanction'' (U.S. director Clint Eastwood) were filmed at Totem Pole. According to author Ron Hogan, " addition to directing and starring in The Eiger Sanction, Clint Eastwood did all his own stunts during the mountain-climbing sequences." Hogan further adds tha ...
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Rooster Rock (Arizona)
Rooster Rock is a summit in Apache County, Arizona, United States. Description Rooster Rock is situated southeast of the Monument Valley visitor center on Navajo Nation land. Precipitation runoff from this butte's slopes drains into Gypsum Creek, which is a tributary of the San Juan River. Topographic relief is significant, as the summit rises nearly above the surrounding terrain in 0.25 mile (0.4 km). The nearest higher neighbor is Meridian Butte, to the south-southwest. The landform's descriptive toponym has been officially adopted by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. Geology Rooster Rock is a butte composed of two principal strata. The bottom layer is slope-forming Organ Rock Shale and the upper stratum is cliff-forming De Chelly Sandstone. The rock was deposited during the Permian period. The buttes and mesas of Monument Valley are the result of the Organ Rock Shale being more easily eroded than the overlaying sandstone. Climate Spring and fall are the most ...
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List Of Appearances Of Monument Valley In The Media
Monument Valley, located on the Navajo Nation within Arizona and Utah, has been featured in many forms of media since the 1930s. It is perhaps most famous for its use in many John Ford films, such as ''Stagecoach'' (1939) and ''The Searchers'' (1956). It has also been featured in such films as '' Easy Rider'' (1969), directed by and co-starring Dennis Hopper; ''Forrest Gump'' (1994), directed by Robert Zemeckis, and '' The Eiger Sanction'' (1975), directed by and starring Clint Eastwood; and in two episodes of the popular United Kingdom television show ''Doctor Who'': " The Impossible Astronaut" (23 April 2011) and " Day of the Moon" (30 April 2011). The twin buttes of Monument Valley (" the Mittens"), the "Totem Pole", and the "Ear of the Wind" arch, among other features, have developed iconic status. They have appeared in many television programs, commercials, and Hollywood movies, especially Westerns. Motion pictures Films *'' The Vanishing American'' (1925) *'' The Lone ...
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Elephant Butte (Monument Valley)
Elephant Butte is a summit in Navajo County, Arizona, United States. Description Elephant Butte is situated southeast of the Monument Valley visitor center on Navajo Nation land. Precipitation runoff from this butte's slopes drains into Gypsum Creek which is a tributary of the San Juan River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises above the surrounding terrain in 0.25 mile (0.4 km). The nearest higher neighbor is Three Sisters, to the southwest. The landform's toponym has been officially adopted by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, and the descriptive name refers to the resemblance of an elephant's profile viewed from a south perspective. Geology Elephant Butte is a butte composed of three principal strata. The bottom layer is slope-forming Organ Rock Shale, the next stratum is cliff-forming De Chelly Sandstone, and the upper layer is Moenkopi Formation. The rock ranges in age from Permian at the bottom to Early Triassic at the top. The buttes an ...
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Diurnal Temperature Variation
In meteorology, diurnal temperature variation is the variation between a high air temperature and a low temperature that occurs during the same day. Temperature lag Temperature lag, also known as thermal inertia, is an important factor in diurnal temperature variation. Peak daily temperature generally occurs ''after'' noon, as air keeps absorbing net heat for a period of time from morning through noon and some time thereafter. Similarly, minimum daily temperature generally occurs substantially after midnight, indeed occurring during early morning in the hour around dawn, since heat is lost all night long. The analogous annual phenomenon is seasonal lag. As solar energy strikes the Earth's surface each morning, a shallow layer of air directly above the ground is heated by conduction. Heat exchange between this shallow layer of warm air and the cooler air above is very inefficient. On a warm summer's day, for example, air temperatures may vary by from just above the ground t ...
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Semi-arid Climate
A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-arid climates, depending on variables such as temperature, and they give rise to different biomes. Defining attributes of semi-arid climates A more precise definition is given by the Köppen climate classification, which treats steppe climates (''BSh'' and ''BSk'') as intermediates between desert climates (BW) and humid climates (A, C, D) in ecological characteristics and agricultural potential. Semi-arid climates tend to support short, thorny or scrubby vegetation and are usually dominated by either grasses or shrubs as they usually cannot support forests. To determine if a location has a semi-arid climate, the precipitation threshold must first be determined. The method used to find the precipitation threshold (in millimeters): * ...
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Köppen Climate Classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (temperate), ''D'' (continental), and ''E'' (polar). Each group and subgroup is represented by a letter. All climates are assigned a main group (the first letter). All climates except for those in the ''E'' group are assigned a seasonal precipitation subgroup (the second letter). For example, ''Af'' indicates a tropical rainforest climate. The system assigns a temperature subgroup for all groups other than those in the ''A'' group, indicated by the third letter for climates in ''B'', ''C'', ''D'', and the second letter for climates in ''E''. Other examples include: ''Cfb'' indicating an oceanic climate with warm summers as indicated by the ending ''b.'', while ''Dwb'' indicates a semi-Monsoon continental climate, monsoonal continental climate ...
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