Thatchtop

Thatchtop
North aspect
Highest point
Elevation12,668 ft (3,861 m)[1][2]
Prominence94 ft (29 m)[3]
Parent peakPowell Peak (13,176 ft)[3]
Isolation1.11 mi (1.79 km)[3]
Coordinates40°16′45″N 105°39′11″W / 40.2791449°N 105.6530498°W / 40.2791449; -105.6530498[4]
Geography
Thatchtop is located in Colorado
Thatchtop
Thatchtop
Location in Colorado
Thatchtop is located in the United States
Thatchtop
Thatchtop
Thatchtop (the United States)
CountryUnited States
StateColorado
CountyLarimer
Protected areaRocky Mountain National Park
Parent rangeRocky Mountains
Front Range[5]
Topo mapUSGS McHenrys Peak
Geology
Rock agePaleoproterozoic[6]
Rock typeBiotite schist and gneiss[6]
Climbing
Easiest routeclass 2+[3]

Thatchtop is a 12,668-foot-elevation (3,861-meter) mountain summit in Larimer County, Colorado, United States.[4]

Description

Thatchtop is set one mile east of the Continental Divide in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. The mountain is situated within Rocky Mountain National Park, approximately 10.5 miles (16.9 km) southwest of Estes Park. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into tributaries of Glacier Creek which in turn is a tributary of the Big Thompson River. Topographic relief is significant with the summit rising 2,670 feet (810 meters) above Glacier Gorge in 0.75 mile (1.21 km).

Etymology

The mountain's descriptive name refers to the matted groundcover of the roof-shaped mountain.[2] The landforms's toponym was officially adopted in 1932 by the United States Board on Geographic Names,[7] although it appeared in publications as early as 1911 if not earlier.[8] The Arapaho called the mountain "Buffalo Climb."[9]

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Thatchtop is located in an alpine subarctic climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and cool to warm summers.[10] Due to its altitude, it receives precipitation all year, as snow in winter, and as thunderstorms in summer, with a dry period in late spring.

See also

References

  1. ^ Robert M. Ormes (2000), Guide to the Colorado Mountains, Colorado Mountain Club Press, ISBN 9780967146607, p. 43.
  2. ^ a b William Bright, Colorado Place Names, 2004, Johnson Books, ISBN 9781555663339, page 174.
  3. ^ a b c d "Thatchtop - 12,666' CO". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Thatchtop". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  5. ^ "Thatchtop, Colorado". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Geologic map of the Estes Park 30' x 60' quadrangle, north-central Colorado, W.A. Braddock, U.S. Geological Survey, 1984.
  7. ^ Decisions of the United States Geographic Board No. 2, (June 30, 1932), US Government Printing Office, p. 8.
  8. ^ Enos A. Mills (1911), The Spell of the Rockies, Houghton Mifflin, p. 341.
  9. ^ Randi Minetor (2019), Historic Rocky Mountain National Park, Lyons Press, ISBN 9781493038770, p. 21.
  10. ^ 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.