Masonic Temple (Grand Canyon)

Masonic Temple
South aspect (Dutton Point upper left)
Highest point
Elevation6,242 ft (1,903 m)[1]
Prominence62 ft (19 m)[1]
Parent peakHoly Grail Temple (6,711 ft)[1]
Isolation2.58 mi (4.15 km)[1]
Coordinates36°16′35″N 112°21′03″W / 36.2764984°N 112.3507455°W / 36.2764984; -112.3507455[2]
Geography
Masonic Temple is located in Arizona
Masonic Temple
Masonic Temple
Location in Arizona
Masonic Temple is located in the United States
Masonic Temple
Masonic Temple
Masonic Temple (the United States)
CountryUnited States
StateArizona
CountyCoconino
Protected areaGrand Canyon National Park
Parent rangeKaibab Plateau
Colorado Plateau
Topo mapUSGS King Arthur Castle
Geology
Rock typesandstone, limestone, shale
Climbing
First ascentAlan Doty[3]
Easiest routeclass 4 climbing[1]

Masonic Temple is a 6,242-foot-elevation (1,903-meter) summit located in the Grand Canyon, in Coconino County of northern Arizona, US.[2] Set below Dutton Point on the Powell Plateau, and overlooking the Shinumo Amphitheater, it is situated three miles west of Holy Grail Temple, 2.7 miles northwest of Dox Castle, and 1.6 miles north-northeast of Fan Island. Topographic relief is significant as it rises 4,000 feet (1,200 meters) above the Colorado River in four miles (6.4 km). According to the Köppen climate classification system, Masonic Temple is located in a cold semi-arid climate zone, with precipitation runoff draining south to the Colorado River via Hakatai Canyon from the west aspect, Burro Canyon from the south aspect, and Muav Canyon from the east aspect.[4] This butte is an erosional remnant composed of strata of the Pennsylvanian-Permian Supai Group overlaying the conspicuous cliffs of Mississippian Redwall Limestone, in turn overlaying the Cambrian Tonto Group.[5]

Etymology

Masonic Temple was named by George Wharton James as a tribute to the Order of Freemasons, an organization to which he belonged.[2][6] To James, the immense angular walls below Dutton Point seemed to form a square, and the freemasonry expression "on the square" suggested to him the name.[7] This feature's name was officially adopted in 1908 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.[2]

  • South aspect from Colorado River (Dutton Point behind to left)
    South aspect from Colorado River (Dutton Point behind to left)
  • Fan Island (left), with Dutton Point looming behind it. Masonic Temple to right.
    Fan Island (left), with Dutton Point looming behind it. Masonic Temple to right.
  • Masonic Temple in upper right
    Masonic Temple in upper right
  • Dutton Point and Masonic Temple in the distance. Huxley Terrace, Wallace Butte, and Tyndall Dome in front.
    Dutton Point and Masonic Temple in the distance.
    Huxley Terrace, Wallace Butte, and Tyndall Dome in front.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Masonic Temple – 6,242' AZ". Lists of John. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
  2. ^ a b c d "Masonic Temple". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
  3. ^ Todd R. Berger, Reflections of Grand Canyon Historians: Ideas, Arguments and First-Person Accounts, 2nd edition, 2008, Grand Canyon Association Publisher, ISBN 978-1934656006
  4. ^ Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (October 11, 2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification" (PDF). Hydrology and Earth System Sciences. 11 (5): 1633–1644. Bibcode:2007HESS...11.1633P. doi:10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 14, 2021.
  5. ^ Ralph Lee Hopkins, Hiking the Southwest's Geology: Four Corners Region, 2002, The Mountaineers Books, ISBN 0898868564, page 91.
  6. ^ Gregory McNamee, Grand Canyon Place Names, 1997, Mountaineers Publisher, ISBN 9780898865332, page 80.
  7. ^ George Wharton James, In and Around the Grand Canyon, 1900, Little, Brown, and Company, page 98.
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