Mollys Castle
Mollys Castle is a remote 5,265-foot (1,605-meter) elevation summit located near Goblin Valley State Park, in Emery County, Utah.[2] Mollys Castle is situated 2.3 mi (3.7 km) east of Wild Horse Butte, and one-half mile outside the park's east boundary. The top of this magnificent butte rises 265 feet above its surrounding terrain.[3] Precipitation runoff from Mollys Castle enters the Colorado River drainage basin.
Mollys Castle | |
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Mollys Castle | |
Highest point | |
Elevation | 5,265 ft (1,605 m) [1] |
Prominence | 365 ft (111 m) [1] |
Parent peak | Wild Horse Butte (5,760 ft}[1] |
Isolation | 2.08 mi (3.35 km) [1] |
Coordinates | 38°34′36″N 110°40′51″W [2] |
Geography | |
Mollys Castle Location of Mollys Castle in Utah Mollys Castle Mollys Castle (the United States) | |
Location | Emery County, Utah, U.S. |
Parent range | Colorado Plateau |
Topo map | USGS Goblin Valley |
Geology | |
Age of rock | Jurassic |
Type of rock | sandstone |
Geology
Mollys Castle is a geological feature set within the San Rafael Desert on the southeastern edge of the San Rafael Swell. This erosional remnant is composed of Jurassic rock. The thin, light-colored layer on top is Curtis Formation caprock, overlaying darker, reddish Entrada Sandstone, which is also the composition of the hoodoos that give Goblin Valley its name.[4][5]
Climate
Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to visit Mollys Castle. According to the Köppen climate classification system, it is located in a Cold semi-arid climate zone, which is defined by the coldest month having an average mean temperature below −0 °C (32 °F) and at least 50% of the total annual precipitation being received during the spring and summer.[6] This desert climate receives less than 10 inches (250 millimetres) of annual rainfall, and snowfall is generally light during the winter.
Gallery
See also
References
- "Mollys Castle - 5,265' UT". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
- "Mollys Castle". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
- National Geographic Guide to the State Parks of the United States, National Geographic Society (U.S.), 2008, page 300.
- Mark Milligan (1999). "The Geology of Goblin Valley State Park" (PDF). Utah GeologicSurvey. p. 7-13. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
- J. Keith Rigby, Northern Colorado Plateau: Field Guide, 1976, page 150.
- 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
- Mollys Castle: weather forecast