Gunther Castle

Gunther Castle is a 7,199-foot-elevation (2,194 meter) summit located in the Grand Canyon, in Coconino County of northern Arizona, USA.[2] It is situated three miles northwest of Chuar Butte, between Kwagunt Valley to the north, and Chuar Valley to the south. Topographic relief is significant as it rises nearly 4,500 feet (1,370 meters) above the Colorado River in three miles.

Gunther Castle
South aspect, aerial view
Highest point
Elevation7,199 ft (2,194 m) [1]
Prominence1,019 ft (311 m) [1]
Parent peakButchart Butte (7,602 ft)[1]
Isolation1.41 mi (2.27 km) [1]
Coordinates36°12′33″N 111°52′19″W [2]
Geography
Gunther Castle
Location in Arizona
Gunther Castle
Gunther Castle (the United States)
LocationGrand Canyon National Park
Coconino County, Arizona, US
Parent rangeKaibab Plateau
Colorado Plateau
Topo mapUSGS Cape Solitude
Geology
Type of rocksandstone, siltstone, limestone
Climbing
First ascent1969

Gunther Castle is named for Gunther, the historical king of Burgundy in Germanic mythology.[3] [4] This feature's name was officially adopted in 1906 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.[2]

The top dome of Gunther Castle is composed of lower strata of the Pennsylvanian-Permian Supai Group. This overlays the conspicuous cliff-forming layer of Mississippian Redwall Limestone, which in turn overlays shale of the Cambrian Tonto Group.[5] According to the Köppen climate classification system, Gunther Castle is located in a Cold semi-arid climate zone.[6] Precipitation runoff from Gunther Castle drains east to the nearby Colorado River via Chuar and Kwagunt Creeks.

The first ascent of Gunther Castle was made by Donald Davis and Harvey Butchart in June 1969.[7] However, they were not the first to set foot on the summit, as they concluded that surveyors had previously arrived by helicopter, having found a surveyor's marker made of wood and a large coil of unused wire.

See also

References
  1. "Gunther Castle - 7,199' AZ". Lists of John. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  2. "Gunther Castle". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
  3. N.H. Darton, Story of the Grand Canyon of Arizona, 1917, page 78.
  4. Gregory McNamee, Grand Canyon Place Names, 1997, Mountaineers Publisher, ISBN 9780898865332, page 58.
  5. N.H. Darton, Story of the Grand Canyon of Arizona, 1917.
  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. Harvey Butchart’s Hiking Log - Detailed Hiking Log (April 3, 1969 - September 3, 1969)
  • Gunther Castle from Cape Final
  • Gunther centered, aerial view looking northwest. Butchart Butte upper left.
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