Trap Mountain

Trap Mountain
Southwest aspect
Highest point
Elevation4,122 ft (1,256 m)[1]
Prominence1,102 ft (336 m)[1]
Parent peakGoat Mountain[2]
Isolation1.70 mi (2.74 km)[2]
Coordinates29°10′19″N 103°25′40″W / 29.1720104°N 103.4277368°W / 29.1720104; -103.4277368[3]
Naming
EtymologyTrap rock
Geography
Trap Mountain is located in Texas
Trap Mountain
Trap Mountain
Location of Trap Mountain in Texas
Trap Mountain is located in the United States
Trap Mountain
Trap Mountain
Trap Mountain (the United States)
CountryUnited States
StateTexas
CountyBrewster
Protected areaBig Bend National Park[1]
Parent rangeChisos Mountains[1]
Topo mapUSGS Cerro Castellan
Geology
Rock ageOligocene
Rock typeIgneous rock (Rhyolite)
Climbing
Easiest routeclass 2+[2]

Trap Mountain is a 4,122-foot-elevation (1,256-meter) summit in Brewster County, Texas, United States.

Description

Trap Mountain is part of the Chisos Mountains where it is set in the Chihuahuan Desert and Big Bend National Park. The mountain is composed chiefly of Burro Mesa Rhyolite (volcanic rock) which formed 29 million years ago during the Oligocene period.[4][5] Based on the Köppen climate classification, the mountain is located in a hot arid climate zone with hot summers and mild winters.[6] This climate supports plants on the slopes such as creosote bush, ocotillo, lechuguilla and yucca.[7] Any scant precipitation runoff from the peak's slopes drains to the Rio Grande which is six miles to the southwest. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 1,300 feet (396 m) above Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive in one-half mile (0.8 km). The mountain's toponym has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names,[3] and has been listed in publications since at least 1914.[8] The mountain's name refers to trap rock,[7] which is any dark-colored, fine-grained, non-granitic intrusive or extrusive igneous rock. There are several large areas of dark rock on the west slope of the mountain visible from the Mule Ears Overlook below Trap Mountain.

See also

  • West-southwest aspect
    West-southwest aspect
  • Southwest aspect
    Southwest aspect
  • Southwest aspect viewed from Mule Ears Overlook
    Southwest aspect viewed from Mule Ears Overlook
  • South aspect of Trap Mountain (left) and Goat Mountain (right)
    South aspect of Trap Mountain (left) and Goat Mountain (right)
  • West aspect of Trap Mountain centered. (Goat Mountain to left)
    West aspect of Trap Mountain centered. (Goat Mountain to left)
  • Summit detail, southwest aspect
    Summit detail, southwest aspect

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Trap Mountain, Texas". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  2. ^ a b c "Trap Mountain - 4,125' TX". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  3. ^ a b "Trap Mountain". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  4. ^ Mountaineers, Meet Mountain Ears: Mule Ear Trail, Francis Redfern, Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  5. ^ Geology of the Big Bend Area and Solitario Dome, Texas, West Texas Geological Society, 1986, p. 124.
  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.
  7. ^ a b Trap Mountain, Texas State Historical Association, Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  8. ^ The Mineral Resources of Texas, William B. Phillips, Bulletin of the University of Texas, Number 365, October 15, 1914, p. 320.