Vishnu Temple (Grand Canyon)

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Vishnu Temple
Grand Canyon National Park, North Rim, Vishnu Temple 0268 - Flickr - Grand Canyon NPS.jpg
North aspect, from Angels Window Overlook
Highest point
Elevation 7,533 ft (2,296 m) [1]
Prominence 1,813 ft (553 m) [1]
Parent peak Wotans Throne (7,740 ft) [2]
Isolation 1.77 mi (2.85 km) [2]
Coordinates 36°05′20″N111°56′09″W / 36.0887641°N 111.9357062°W / 36.0887641; -111.9357062 [3]
Geography
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Vishnu Temple
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Vishnu Temple
Location Grand Canyon
Coconino County, Arizona, US
Parent range Kaibab Plateau [1]
Colorado Plateau
Topo map USGS Cape Royal
Geology
Type of rock Coconino Sandstone
Climbing
First ascent 1945
Easiest route class 4 climbing [2]

Vishnu Temple is a 7,533-foot-elevation (2,296-meter) summit located in the Grand Canyon, in Coconino County of Arizona, US. [3]

Contents

Description

Vishnu Temple is situated two miles south-southeast of the Cape Royal overlook on the canyon's North Rim, 1.5 mile south of Freya Castle, and two miles east-southeast of Wotans Throne, its nearest higher neighbor. It towers 4,900 feet (1,500 meters) above the Colorado River. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Vishnu Temple is located in a cold semi-arid climate zone. [4] According to explorer Frederick Samuel Dellenbaugh, Vishnu Temple is "without doubt the most stupendous mass of nature's carving in the known world." [5]

History

Vishnu Temple is named for Vishnu, the Hindu deity, redeemer of the universe. This toponym was applied in 1880 by Clarence Dutton who thought this mountain resembled an oriental pagoda, when he began the tradition of naming geographical features in the Grand Canyon after mythological deities. [6] [7] This geographical feature's toponym was officially adopted in 1906 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. [3] The first ascent of the summit was made by Merrel Clubb and his son on July 13, 1945. [8]

Geology

The summit of Vishnu Temple is composed of cream-colored, cliff-forming, Permian Coconino Sandstone with a Kaibab Limestone cupola caprock. [9] The sandstone, which is the third-youngest of the strata in the Grand Canyon, was deposited 265 million years ago as sand dunes. Below the Coconino Sandstone is slope-forming, Permian Hermit Formation, which in turn overlays the Pennsylvanian-Permian Supai Group. Further down are strata of Mississippian Redwall Limestone, Cambrian Tonto Group, and finally Proterozoic Unkar Group at creek level. [10] Precipitation runoff from Vishnu Temple drains south into the Colorado River via Vishnu Creek on its west side, and Unkar Creek on the east side.

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apollo Temple</span> Landform in the Grand Canyon, Arizona

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Confucius Temple (Grand Canyon)</span> Landform in the Grand Canyon, Arizona

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freya Castle</span> Landform in the Grand Canyon, Arizona

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jupiter Temple</span> Landform in the Grand Canyon, Arizona

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diana Temple (Grand Canyon)</span> Landform in the Grand Canyon, Arizona

Diana Temple is a 6,683-foot-elevation (2,037-meter) summit located in the Grand Canyon, in Coconino County of northern Arizona, US. It is situated nine miles northwest of Grand Canyon Village, and immediately northeast of Mescalero Point. Pollux Temple is one mile northwest, Marsh Butte one mile east-northeast, and Vesta Temple is one mile south. Topographic relief is significant as Diana Temple rises nearly 4,300 feet above the Colorado River in less than two miles. Diana Temple is named for Diana, the goddess of the hunt and the moon according to Roman mythology. Clarence Dutton began the practice of naming geographical features in the Grand Canyon after mythological deities. The U.S. Geological Survey applied the name, and this geographical feature's name was officially adopted in 1908 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. In the early 1900s this mesa was sometimes called "No Mans Land". According to the Köppen climate classification system, Diana Temple is located in a Cold semi-arid climate zone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thor Temple</span> Landform in the Grand Canyon, Arizona

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. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manu Temple</span> Landform in the Grand Canyon, Arizona

Manu Temple is a 7,184-foot-elevation (2,190-meter) summit located in the Grand Canyon, in Coconino County of northern Arizona, United States. It is situated one mile south of the North Rim's Widforss Point, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) northeast of parent Buddha Temple, and three miles southwest of the North Rim's Bright Angel Point. Topographic relief is significant as it rises nearly 3,600 feet in two miles above Bright Angel Canyon to the east, and 2,200 feet in less than one mile above Haunted Canyon to the immediate west. Its neighbors include Brahma Temple and Deva Temple to the east on the opposite side of Bright Angel Canyon. From the South Rim of the canyon it may be difficult to discern Manu Temple from the walls of the Kaibab Plateau one mile behind it, but when the lighting and atmosphere are favorable, this butte of great proportions can be seen clearly defined.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vesta Temple</span> Landform in the Grand Canyon, Arizona

Vesta Temple is a 6,299-foot-elevation (1,920-meter) summit located in the Grand Canyon, in Coconino County of northern Arizona, US. It is situated eight miles west-northwest of Grand Canyon Village, and immediately northeast of Mimbreno Point. Marsh Butte is one mile northeast, Eremita Mesa immediately southeast, and nearest higher neighbor Diana Temple is one mile north. Topographic relief is significant as Vesta Temple rises 3,900 feet above the Colorado River in 2.5 miles. Vesta Temple is named for Vesta, the goddess of the hearth, home, and family according to Roman mythology. Clarence Dutton began the practice of naming geographical features in the Grand Canyon after mythological deities. This geographical feature's name was officially adopted in 1908 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Vesta Temple is located in a Cold semi-arid climate zone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King Arthur Castle</span> Landform in the Grand Canyon, Arizona

King Arthur Castle is a 7,344-foot-elevation (2,238-meter) summit located in the Grand Canyon, in Coconino County of northern Arizona, US. It is situated one-half mile northwest of Guinevere Castle, one mile west of Excalibur, and two miles east-southeast of Holy Grail Temple, within the Shinumo Amphitheater. Topographic relief is significant as it rises over 5,100 feet above the Colorado River in 4.5 miles (7.2 km). According to the Köppen climate classification system, King Arthur Castle is located in a cold semi-arid climate zone, with precipitation runoff draining west to the Colorado River via Shinumo Creek.

Elaine Castle is a 7,431-foot-elevation (2,265 meter) summit located in the Grand Canyon, in Coconino County of northern Arizona, US. It is situated three miles north-northwest of King Arthur Castle near the head of Shinumo Creek, and immediately southwest of Lancelot Point. Topographic relief is significant as it rises 2,800 feet above Merlin Abyss in one mile. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Elaine Castle is located in a cold semi-arid climate zone.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Vishnu Temple, Arizona". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
  2. 1 2 3 "Vishnu Temple – 7,533' AZ". Lists of John. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 "Vishnu Temple". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved 2020-12-19.
  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. Byrd H. Granger, Grand Canyon Place Names, 1960, University of Arizona Press Tucson, p. 25.
  6. Dutton, Clarence E. (1882). The Tertiary History of the Grand Cañon District. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. p. 148. From p. 148: "The finest butte of the chasm is situated near the upper end of the Kaibab division; but it is not visible from Point Sublime. It is more than 5,000 feet high, and has a surprising resemblance to an Oriental pagoda. We named it Vishnu's temple."
  7. Randy Moore and Kara Felicia Witt, The Grand Canyon: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture, 2018, ABC-CLIO Publisher, p. 151.
  8. John Annerino, 'Hiking the Grand Canyon", 2017, Simon & Schuster, ISBN   9781510714984
  9. N.H. Darton, Story of the Grand Canyon of Arizona, 1917, p. 58.
  10. William Kenneth Hamblin, Anatomy of the Grand Canyon: Panoramas of the Canyon's Geology, 2008, Grand Canyon Association Publisher, ISBN   9781934656013.