Mollys Castle

Mollys Castle is a remote 5,265-foot (1,605-meter) elevation summit located near Goblin Valley State Park, in Emery County, Utah.[2] Mollys Castle is situated 2.3 mi (3.7 km) east of Wild Horse Butte, and one-half mile outside the park's east boundary. The top of this magnificent butte rises 265 feet above its surrounding terrain.[3] Precipitation runoff from Mollys Castle enters the Colorado River drainage basin.

Mollys Castle
Mollys Castle
Highest point
Elevation5,265 ft (1,605 m)[1]
Prominence365 ft (111 m)[1]
Parent peakWild Horse Butte (5,760 ft}[1]
Isolation2.08 mi (3.35 km)[1]
Coordinates38°34′36″N 110°40′51″W[2]
Geography
Mollys Castle
Location of Mollys Castle in Utah
Mollys Castle
Mollys Castle (the United States)
LocationEmery County, Utah, U.S.
Parent rangeColorado Plateau
Topo mapUSGS Goblin Valley
Geology
Age of rockJurassic
Type of rocksandstone

Geology

Mollys Castle is a geological feature set within the San Rafael Desert on the southeastern edge of the San Rafael Swell. This erosional remnant is composed of Jurassic rock. The thin, light-colored layer on top is Curtis Formation caprock, overlaying darker, reddish Entrada Sandstone, which is also the composition of the hoodoos that give Goblin Valley its name.[4][5]

Climate

Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to visit Mollys Castle. 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 −0 °C (32 °F) and at least 50% of the total annual precipitation being received during the spring and summer.[6] This desert climate receives less than 10 inches (250 millimetres) of annual rainfall, and snowfall is generally light during the winter.

See also

References

  1. "Mollys Castle - 5,265' UT". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  2. "Mollys Castle". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  3. National Geographic Guide to the State Parks of the United States, National Geographic Society (U.S.), 2008, page 300.
  4. Mark Milligan (1999). "The Geology of Goblin Valley State Park" (PDF). Utah GeologicSurvey. p. 7-13. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  5. J. Keith Rigby, Northern Colorado Plateau: Field Guide, 1976, page 150.
  6. Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11. ISSN 1027-5606.
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