Carter Peak is a
summit
A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous.
The term (mountain top) is generally used only for ...
in
Brewster County, Texas
Brewster County is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is in West Texas and its county seat (and only city) is Alpine, Texas, Alpine. It is one of the nine counties that comprise the Trans-Pecos region, and b ...
, United States.
Description
Carter Peak is located on the west side of the
Chisos Mountains
The Chisos Mountains, also known as the Chisos, are a mountain range located in the Big Bend, Texas, Big Bend area of the Trans-Pecos region of Texas, United States. The mountain system covers 40 square miles (104 square km) and is contained enti ...
in
Big Bend National Park
Big Bend National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States located in West Texas, bordering Mexico. The park has national significance as the largest protected area of Chihuahuan Desert topograph ...
. The mountain is composed of
intrusive rock
Intrusive rock is formed when magma penetrates existing rock, crystallizes, and solidifies underground to form ''Igneous intrusion, intrusions'', such as batholiths, dike (geology), dikes, Sill (geology), sills, laccoliths, and volcanic necks.I ...
which formed during the
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 defin ...
period.
Topographic relief
Terrain (), alternatively relief or topographical relief, is the dimension and shape of a given surface of land. In physical geography, terrain is the lay of the land. This is usually expressed in terms of the elevation, slope, and orientati ...
is significant as the summit rises 1,500 feet (457 m) above Oak Canyon in one-quarter mile (0.4 km). The nearest higher neighbor is
Vernon Bailey Peak
Vernon Bailey Peak is a summit in Brewster County, Texas, United States.
Description
Vernon Bailey Peak is located in the Chisos Mountains. It ranks as the 12th-highest peak in Big Bend National Park and 77th-highest in Texas. The mountain is ...
, to the northeast.
[ Based on the ]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'' (te ...
, Carter Peak is located in a hot arid climate
The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk'') is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...
zone with hot summers and mild winters.Rio Grande
The Rio Grande ( or ) in the United States or the Río Bravo (del Norte) in Mexico (), also known as Tó Ba'áadi in Navajo language, Navajo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the Southwestern United States a ...
watershed. The lower slopes of the mountain are covered by juniper, oak, and piñon. The mountain's toponym was officially adopted in 1957 by the United States Board on Geographic Names
The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is a Federal government of the United States, federal body operating under the United States Secretary of the Interior. The purpose of the board is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geogr ...
to honor Amon G. Carter (1879–1955), publisher of the ''Fort Worth Star-Telegram
The ''Fort Worth Star-Telegram'' is an American daily newspaper serving Fort Worth and Tarrant County, the western half of the North Texas area known as the Metroplex. It is owned by The McClatchy Company.
History
In May 1905, Amon G. Car ...
'', and promoter of the establishment of Big Bend National Park.[Ronnie C. Tyler, ''The Big Bend: A History of the Last Texas Frontier'', U.S. Government Printing Office, 1975, p. 18.]
See also
*List of mountain peaks of Texas
This is a list of mountains in the state of Texas greater than 2,000 feet.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mountain peaks of Texas
Texas
Mountain peaks
A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points imme ...
*Geography of Texas
The geography of Texas is diverse and large. Occupying about 7% of the total water and land area of the U.S., it is the second largest state after Alaska, and is the southernmost part of the Great Plains, which end in the south against the folde ...
References
Gallery
File:The Window - Big Bend NP.jpg, "The Window" with Carter Peak to the left
File:Carter Peak west.jpg, West aspect
File:Chisos Mountains, Big Bend National Park, Texas.jpg, Carter Peak (centered) viewed from west. Vernon Bailey Peak (left).
File:Amon G Carter.jpg, Amon G. Carter
External links
* Carter Peak
Weather forecast
{{Portal bar, Mountains, Geology, Geography, Texas
Mountains of Texas
One-thousanders of the United States
Landforms of Brewster County, Texas
Big Bend National Park