Ferns Nipple

Ferns Nipple is a 7,065-foot (2,153-meter) elevation summit located in Capitol Reef National Park, in Wayne County of Utah, United States.[3] This iconic landmark is situated 4 mi (6.4 km) southeast of the park's visitor center. Precipitation runoff from this feature is drained by tributaries of the Fremont River, which in turn is within the Colorado River drainage basin. Folklore attributes this geological feature's naming to outlaw Butch Cassidy and his favored girlfriend named Fern.[4]

Ferns Nipple
Ferns Nipple, north aspect
Highest point
Elevation7,065 ft (2,153 m)[1]
Prominence305 ft (93 m)[1]
Parent peakPeak 7100[2]
Isolation0.96 mi (1.54 km)[2]
Coordinates38°14′50″N 111°12′48″W[3]
Geography
Ferns Nipple
Location in Utah
Ferns Nipple
Ferns Nipple (the United States)
LocationCapitol Reef National Park
Wayne County, Utah, US
Parent rangeColorado Plateau
Topo mapUSGS Golden Throne
Geology
Age of rockJurassic
Type of rockNavajo Sandstone
Climbing
Easiest routeclass 4 scrambling[2]

Geology

Ferns Nipple is composed of Navajo Sandstone, which is believed to have formed about 180 million years ago as a giant sand sea, the largest in Earth's history.[5] In a hot, dry climate, wind blew over sand dunes, creating large, sweeping crossbeds which date to the Jurassic. Long after the sedimentary rocks were deposited, the Colorado Plateau was uplifted relatively evenly, keeping the layers roughly horizontal, but Capitol Reef is an exception because of the Waterpocket Fold, a classic monocline, which formed between 50 and 70 million years ago during the Laramide Orogeny.[6]

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, it is located in a Cold semi-arid climate zone, which is defined by the coldest month having an average mean temperature below 32 °F (0 °C), and at least 50% of the total annual precipitation being received during the spring and summer. This desert climate receives less than 10 inches (250 millimeters) of annual rainfall, and snowfall is generally light during the winter.

Climate data for Capitol Reef Visitor Center, elevation 5,653 ft (1,723 m), 1981-2010 normals, extremes 1981-2019
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 58.6
(14.8)
68.3
(20.2)
78.3
(25.7)
84.4
(29.1)
94.6
(34.8)
100.2
(37.9)
100.8
(38.2)
97.9
(36.6)
95.4
(35.2)
86.1
(30.1)
70.4
(21.3)
61.5
(16.4)
100.8
(38.2)
Average high °F (°C) 40.6
(4.8)
46.4
(8.0)
54.7
(12.6)
65.0
(18.3)
74.5
(23.6)
85.3
(29.6)
90.4
(32.4)
87.9
(31.1)
80.2
(26.8)
66.1
(18.9)
51.3
(10.7)
40.6
(4.8)
65.3
(18.5)
Average low °F (°C) 17.8
(−7.9)
22.7
(−5.2)
30.2
(−1.0)
36.2
(2.3)
44.7
(7.1)
53.1
(11.7)
60.4
(15.8)
58.5
(14.7)
50.4
(10.2)
39.0
(3.9)
27.6
(−2.4)
18.2
(−7.7)
38.3
(3.5)
Record low °F (°C) −4.2
(−20.1)
−11.8
(−24.3)
9.1
(−12.7)
18.1
(−7.7)
27.2
(−2.7)
34.6
(1.4)
42.4
(5.8)
45.1
(7.3)
29.9
(−1.2)
11.7
(−11.3)
8.0
(−13.3)
−7.5
(−21.9)
−11.8
(−24.3)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 0.52
(13)
0.34
(8.6)
0.53
(13)
0.47
(12)
0.59
(15)
0.47
(12)
0.91
(23)
1.20
(30)
0.80
(20)
0.98
(25)
0.49
(12)
0.32
(8.1)
7.62
(194)
Average dew point °F (°C) 17.3
(−8.2)
20.8
(−6.2)
23.0
(−5.0)
24.5
(−4.2)
29.1
(−1.6)
32.0
(0.0)
40.0
(4.4)
41.8
(5.4)
34.8
(1.6)
28.2
(−2.1)
21.9
(−5.6)
17.5
(−8.1)
27.6
(−2.4)
Source: PRISM[7]

See also

References

  1. "Ferns Nipple, Utah". Peakbagger.com.
  2. "Ferns Nipple - 7,065' UT". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
  3. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Ferns Nipple
  4. John W. Van Cott, Utah Place Names, University of Utah Press, 1990, page 136.
  5. Capitol Reef National Park, National Park Service
  6. Capitol Reef Geology, NPS.gov
  7. "PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University". Retrieved February 19, 2019.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.