Marsh Butte is a summit located in the

Grand Canyon The Grand Canyon (, yuf-x-yav, Wi:kaʼi:la, , Southern Paiute language: Paxa’uipi, ) 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 m ...

, in

Coconino County Coconino County is a county in the north-central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. Its population was 145,101 at the 2020 census. The county seat is Flagstaff. The county takes its name from ''Cohonino'', a name applied to the Havasupai p ...

in the northern part of the U.S. state of

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

. It is situated eight miles northwest of

Grand Canyon Village Grand Canyon Village is a census-designated place (CDP) located on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, in Coconino County, Arizona, United States. Its population was 2,004 at the 2010 Census. Located in Grand Canyon National Park, it is whol ...

, immediately east-northeast of Diana Temple, and Tower of Ra stands directly opposite across Granite Gorge. Topographic relief is significant, as Marsh Butte rises over above the

Colorado River The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid drainage basin, watershed that encompasses parts of ...

in half a mile (1 km). Marsh Butte is composed of Mississippian Redwall Limestone, overlaying the

Cambrian The Cambrian Period ( ; sometimes symbolized C with bar, Ꞓ) was the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, and of the Phanerozoic Eon. The Cambrian lasted 53.4 million years from the end of the preceding Ediacaran Period 538.8 million ...

Tonto Group The Tonto Group is a name for an assemblage of related sedimentary strata, collectively known by geologists as a ''Group'', that comprises the basal sequence Paleozoic strata exposed in the sides of the Grand Canyon. As currently defined, the T ...

, and finally granite of the Paleoproterozoic

Vishnu Basement Rocks The Vishnu Basement Rocks is the name recommended for all Early Proterozoic crystalline rocks (metamorphic and igneous) exposed in the Grand Canyon region. They form the crystalline basement rocks that underlie the Bass Limestone of the Unkar G ...

at river level in Granite Gorge. According to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, Marsh Butte is located in a

cold 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-ar ...

zone.

History

In March 1906, this butte was officially named "Endymion Dome", for

Endymion Endymion primarily refers to: * Endymion (mythology), an Ancient Greek shepherd * ''Endymion'' (poem), by John Keats Endymion may also refer to: Fictional characters * Prince Endymion, a character in the ''Sailor Moon'' anime franchise * Raul ...

Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the Cosmogony, origin and Cosmology#Metaphysical co ...

, in keeping with Clarence Dutton's practice of naming geographical features in the Grand Canyon after mythological deities. However, George Wharton James suggested it should be named after preeminent paleontologist

Othniel Charles Marsh Othniel Charles Marsh (October 29, 1831 – March 18, 1899) was an American professor of Paleontology in Yale College and President of the National Academy of Sciences. He was one of the preeminent scientists in the field of paleontology. Among h ...

(1831–1899), and two months later it was officially renamed in May 1906 by the

U.S. Board on Geographic Names The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is a federal body operating under the United States Secretary of the Interior. The purpose of the board is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geographic names throughout the federal governm ...

. George Wharton James described it in his 1910 book "''The Grand Canyon of Arizona How to See It''" as "a butte of singularly beautiful structure." The

first ascent In mountaineering, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in guide books) is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain or the first to follow a particular climbing route. First mountain ascents are notable because they en ...

of the summit was made October 29, 1977, by Pete Baertlein and Mitch McCombs via the east ridge.Aaron Tomasi, Pernell Tomasi, ''Grand Canyon Summits Select An Obscure Compilation of Sixty-nine Remote Ascent Routes in the Grand Canyon National Park Backcountry'', 2001, , page 54.

Gallery

File:Marsh Butte from Pima Point.jpg, Marsh Butte (centered in bullseye), from Pima Point File:Marsh Butte and Geikie Peak, Grand Canyon.jpg, Marsh Butte centered in bullseye, Geikie Peak behind it File:Vue aérienne sur le Grand Canyon (9067065445).jpg, Aerial view with Marsh Butte lower left, Diana Temple upper left, Geikie Peak centered at bullseye. File:Diana Temple and Marsh Butte, Grand Canyon.jpg, Aerial view of Diana Temple (upper left) and Marsh Butte (lower right) File:South Rim from the air.jpg, Diana Temple centered at top and Marsh Butte centered at bottom.
Aerial view from ENE. File:Marsh Butte formed in Redwall Limestone.jpg, Marsh Butte (end of ridge) formed in Redwall Limestone. Tapeats Sandstone (brown cliff at bottom of photograph), Manakacha Formation (red cliff at top of photograph).

References

External links

* Weather forecast
National Weather Service
* Climbing Marsh Butte
Themtsarecalling.com
{{Geology of the Grand Canyon area, , state=collapsed Grand Canyon Landforms of Coconino County, Arizona Colorado Plateau Grand Canyon National Park North American 1000 m summits Buttes of Arizona Grand Canyon, South Rim Grand Canyon, South Rim (west)

History

See also

Gallery

References

External links