Thor Temple

Thor Temple is a 6,741-foot (2,055 m)-elevation summit located in the Grand Canyon, in Coconino County of northern Arizona, United States.[2] It is situated 2.5 miles (4.0 km) west-northwest of Cape Royal on the canyon's North Rim, 3.5 miles (5.6 km) east of Brahma Temple, and 2 miles (3.2 km) north-northwest of Wotans Throne. It rises 4,300 feet (1,300 m) above the Colorado River in 5 miles (8.0 km). According to the Köppen climate classification system, Thor Temple is located in a cold semi-arid climate zone.[4]

Thor Temple
North aspect, from North Rim
Highest point
Elevation6,741 ft (2,055 m) [1]
Prominence769 ft (234 m) [1]
Parent peakWotans Throne (7,740 ft)[1]
Isolation2.12 mi (3.41 km) [1]
Coordinates36°07′50″N 111°58′51″W [2]
Geography
Thor Temple
Location in Arizona
Thor Temple
Thor Temple (the United States)
LocationGrand Canyon National Park
Coconino County, Arizona, US
Parent rangeKaibab Plateau
Colorado Plateau
Topo mapUSGS Walhalla Plateau
Geology
Type of rocklimestone, shale, sandstone
Climbing
First ascentAlan Doty, May 1977[3]
Easiest routeclass 4 climbing[1]

Thor Temple is named for Thor, the hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, and storms in Germanic mythology, and son of Wotan.[5] This name was applied by geologist François E. Matthes, in keeping with Clarence Dutton's practice of naming geographical features in the Grand Canyon after mythological deities.[6][7] A variant name for this landform is "Thors Hammer."[2] This geographical feature's name was officially adopted in 1906 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.[2]

Geology

Thor Temple is composed of strata of the Pennsylvanian-Permian Supai Group. Further down are strata of Mississippian Redwall Limestone, Cambrian Tonto Group, and finally Proterozoic Unkar Group at creek level.[8] Precipitation runoff from Thor Temple drains southwest to the Colorado River via Clear Creek.

Thor Temple bottom, Wotans Throne upper left, Angels Gate right.
Looking south from Francois Matthes Point, 1951.

See also

References
  1. "Thor Temple - 6,741' AZ". Lists of John. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
  2. "Thor Temple". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
  3. Harvey Butchart, Grand Canyon Treks 12,000 Miles Through the Grand Canyon, 1998, Spotted Dog Press, ISBN 9780964753020, page 140.
  4. 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.
  5. N.H. Darton, Story of the Grand Canyon of Arizona, 1917, page 81.
  6. Stephen J. Pyne, Voyager: Seeking Newer Worlds in the Third Great Age of Discovery, 2010, Penguin Group.
  7. Randy Moore and Kara Felicia Witt, The Grand Canyon: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture, 2018, ABC-CLIO Publisher, page 151.
  8. N.H. Darton, Story of the Grand Canyon of Arizona, 1917.
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