Darwin Plateau is a mostly circular, small

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. ...

, about 0.75 mi to 1.25 miles in diameter surrounding the base of Mount Huethawali; the Huethawali prominence occupies about one quarter of the Darwin Plateau. South of the prominence, the Darwin Plateau borders Huethawali on the southwest, south, and southeast, with the southwest forming a

saddle A saddle is a supportive structure for a rider of an animal, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is equestrian. However, specialized saddles have been created for oxen, camels and other animals. It is not know ...

between Garnet Canyon (Upper Canyon, and the northeast of Drummond Plateau), the southwest terminus of the Grand Scenic Divide, and east, the saddle at the headwaters of the southwest terminus of Upper Bass Canyon (the location of the South Bass Trail). The Darwin Plateau is about 0.75 miles northwest of the southwest terminus of the Grand Scenic Divide, and is located about 2.0 miles east of excursions of the

Colorado River The Colorado River () is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The river, the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), 5th longest in the United St ...

. North of Mount Huethawali are two landforms identical in approximate elevations to Darwin Plateau, namely Spencer Terrace, north-northwest, and Huxley Terrace, northeast (the west border of the Grand Scenic Divide, across Upper Bass Canyon). Spencer and Huxley Terrace's, and the Darwin Plateau, are composed of unit 4 of 4 of the

Supai Group The Supai Group is a slope-forming sequence of mixed red beds and limestones that outcrop in the Colorado Plateau. The group was laid down during the Pennsylvanian to Lower Permian. Cliff-forming interbeds of sandstone are noticeable througho ...

, the

cliff-former A cliff-former is a geological unit of bedrock that is more resistant to erosion than overlying or underlying strata and consequently produces outcrops with high slope angles. It is more or less equivalent to ''ridge-former'', and may be contrast ...

, (and platform-former),

Esplanade Sandstone The Lower Permian Esplanade Sandstone is a cliff-forming, resistant sandstone, dark red, geologic unit found in the Grand Canyon. The rock unit forms a resistant shelf in the west Grand Canyon, south side of the Colorado River, at the east of th ...

. (Trail guides, (for example from

Grand Canyon The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is long, up to wide and attains a depth of over a mile (). The canyon and adjacent rim are contained within Grand Canyon Nati ...

trip reports,Grand Canyon Explorer
/ref>) refer to the trails being on “the Esplanade”); The Esplanade (Grand Canyon) is a large platform across from

Toroweap Overlook Toroweap Overlook (also known as Tuweep Overlook or Toroweap Point) is a viewpoint within the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, United States. It is located in a remote area on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, west of the North Rim He ...

, downstream, and on the South Rim.

References

External links

{{commons category
Royal Arch Loop from saddle of Darwin Plateau
Plateaus of Arizona Grand Canyon Grand Canyon National Park Grand Canyon, South Rim Grand Canyon, South Rim (west)

See also

References

External links