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Snowdon Peak

Coordinates: 37°42′28″N 107°41′20″W / 37.7078884°N 107.6888976°W / 37.7078884; -107.6888976
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Snowdon Peak
Northwest aspect
Highest point
Elevation13,077 ft (3,986 m)[1]
Prominence1,317 ft (401 m)[1]
Parent peakTwilight Peak (13,163 ft)[2]
Isolation3.75 mi (6.04 km)[2]
Coordinates37°42′28″N 107°41′20″W / 37.7078884°N 107.6888976°W / 37.7078884; -107.6888976[3]
Naming
EtymologySnowdon
Geography
Snowdon Peak is located in Colorado
Snowdon Peak
Snowdon Peak
Location in Colorado
Snowdon Peak is located in the United States
Snowdon Peak
Snowdon Peak
Snowdon Peak (the United States)
LocationSan Juan County, Colorado, US
Parent rangeRocky Mountains
San Juan Mountains
Needle Mountains[1]
Topo mapUSGS Snowdon Peak
Geology
Age of rockStatherian
Type of rockQuartzite
Climbing
Easiest routeclass 2+ scramble[2] NE ridge[4]

Snowdon Peak is a 13,077-foot-elevation (3,986-meter) mountain summit located in San Juan County, Colorado, United States.[3] It is situated seven miles south of the community of Silverton, in the Weminuche Wilderness, on land managed by San Juan National Forest. It is part of the San Juan Mountains range which is a subset of the Rocky Mountains of North America, and is set nine miles west of the Continental Divide. Topographic relief is significant as the east aspect rises 4,300 feet (1,300 meters) above the Animas River in approximately 1.5 mile. Neighbors include Mount Garfield three miles to the east-southeast, and Twilight Peak, which is the nearest higher peak, 3.7 miles to the south-southwest. This mountain can be seen from U.S. Route 550. The mountain is named after Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales.[5]

Climate

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According to the Köppen climate classification system, Snowdon Peak is located in an alpine subarctic climate zone with long, cold, snowy winters, and cool to warm summers.[6] 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. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into tributaries of the Animas River.

Geology

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Snowdon Peak is part of the Uncompahgre Formation, which is a sequence of quartzite and black phyllite some 8,200 feet (2,500 meters) in thickness.[7] The formation dates to the Statherian period and is interpreted as metamorphosed marine and fluvial sandstone, mudstone, and shale. The formation overlies plutons with an age of 1,707 million years.

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Snowdon Peak, Colorado". Peakbagger.com.
  2. ^ a b c "Snowdon Peak - 13,077' CO". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2021-06-27.
  3. ^ a b "Snowdon Peak". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2021-06-27.
  4. ^ Robert F. Rosebrough, The San Juan Mountains: A Climbing & Hiking Guide, Cordillera Press, 1986, page 114.
  5. ^ John Peel, Paul Pixler, Hiking Trails of Southwestern Colorado, 5th Ed., 2020, West Margin Press, ISBN 9781513262987, page 157.
  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. ^ Rob Blair, Tom Ann Casey, William H. Romme, The Western San Juan Mountains: Their Geology, Ecology, and Human History, 1996, University Press of Colorado, ISBN 9780870813788, page 350.
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