Zeus and Moses

Zeus and Moses, variant Moses and Zeus, is a 500-foot (150-meter) tall sandstone formation located in the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park, in San Juan County, Utah.[3] These rock towers' names refer to Zeus, god of Roman mythology, and Moses, an important prophet of several religions. Zeus and Moses is composed of Wingate Sandstone, which is the remains of wind-borne sand dunes deposited approximately 200 million years ago in the Late Triassic. This formation is situated in Taylor Canyon, 3 mi (4.8 km) north-northeast of Upheaval Dome. Access to the towers is via the four-wheel drive White Rim Road, and a spur road into Taylor Canyon. The top of this geological formation rises 900 feet above the canyon floor at road's end, approximately one-half mile away. Precipitation runoff from Zeus and Moses drains into the nearby Green River via Taylor Canyon.

Zeus and Moses
Zeus and Moses from the west
(Aphrodite, Zeus, The Ark, Moses, Thracian Mare)
Highest point
Elevation5,132 ft (1,564 m) [1]
Prominence372 ft (113 m) [1]
Parent peakAphrodite (5,151 ft)[2]
Isolation0.26 mi (0.42 km) [2]
Coordinates38°28′32″N 109°54′38″W [3]
Geography
Zeus and Moses
Location of Zeus and Moses in Utah
Zeus and Moses
Zeus and Moses (the United States)
LocationCanyonlands National Park
San Juan County, Utah, U.S.
Parent rangeColorado Plateau
Topo mapUSGS Upheaval Dome
Geology
Age of rockLate Triassic
Type of rockWingate Sandstone
Climbing
First ascentZeus 1970. Moses 1972.
Easiest routeclass 5.11a Climbing[2]

Climbing

The first ascent of Zeus was made in September 1970 by Fred Beckey and Eric Bjornstad via the class 5.7 A0 East Ridge. This climbing route no longer exists as the bolts have been removed. Sisyphus is a class 5.11 route up dihedrals on the south face.[4]

The first ascent of Moses was made in 1972 by Eric Bjornstad, Fred Beckey, Jim Galvin, Tom Nephew, and Gregory Markov, via the class 5.8 A3 north face. The second ascent of Moses was made in March 1973 by Stewart Green, Jim Dunn, Doug Snively, and Kurt Rasmussen via the (class 5.11) Dunn Route. Free climbing routes on Moses include class 5.12c Pale Fire, first climbed by Chip Chase and Charlie Fowler in 1981, along with the classic Primrose Dihedrals route, class 5.11 on the south face, first climbed by Ed Webster and Steve Hong in 1979.[5]

Climate

Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to visit Zeus and Moses. 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. This desert climate receives less than 10 inches (250 millimetres) of annual rainfall, and snowfall is generally light during the winter.

See also

References
  1. "Moses, Utah". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2020-10-10.
  2. "Moses - 5,132' UT". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2020-10-10.
  3. "Zeus and Moses". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2020-10-10.
  4. Stewart M. Green, Rock Climbing Utah, 2012, Morris Book Pubishing, page 83.
  5. Stewart M. Green, Rock Climbing Utah, 2012, Morris Book Pubishing, page 80.
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