Thatchtop is a 12,668-foot-elevation (3,861-meter) mountain summit in Larimer County, Colorado, United States.[4]
| Thatchtop | |
|---|---|
 North aspect | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 12,668 ft (3,861 m)[1][2] |
| Prominence | 94 ft (29 m)[3] |
| Parent peak | Powell Peak (13,176 ft)[3] |
| Isolation | 1.11 mi (1.79 km)[3] |
| Coordinates | 40°16′45″N 105°39′11″W / 40.2791449°N 105.6530498°W[4] |
| Geography | |
  Thatchtop Location in Colorado  Thatchtop Thatchtop (the United States) | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Colorado |
| County | Larimer |
| Protected area | Rocky Mountain National Park |
| Parent range | Rocky Mountains Front Range[5] |
| Topo map | USGS McHenrys Peak |
| Geology | |
| Rock age | Paleoproterozoic[6] |
| Rock type | Biotite schist and gneiss[6] |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | class 2+[3] |
Description
editThatchtop 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
editThe 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
editAccording 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
edit
References
edit- ^ Robert M. Ormes (2000), Guide to the Colorado Mountains, Colorado Mountain Club Press, ISBN 9780967146607, p. 43.
- ^ a b William Bright, Colorado Place Names, 2004, Johnson Books, ISBN 9781555663339, page 174.
- ^ a b c d "Thatchtop - 12,666' CO". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
- ^ a b "Thatchtop". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
- ^ "Thatchtop, Colorado". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
- ^ a b Geologic map of the Estes Park 30' x 60' quadrangle, north-central Colorado, W.A. Braddock, U.S. Geological Survey, 1984.
- ^ Decisions of the United States Geographic Board No. 2, (June 30, 1932), US Government Printing Office, p. 8.
- ^ Enos A. Mills (1911), The Spell of the Rockies, Houghton Mifflin, p. 341.
- ^ Randi Minetor (2019), Historic Rocky Mountain National Park, Lyons Press, ISBN 9781493038770, p. 21.
- ^ 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.
External links
edit- Weather forecast: Thatchtop
- Thatchtop rock climbing: Mountainproject.com