Elephant Tusk is a 5,254-foot-elevation (1,601-meter) summit in Brewster County, Texas, United States.

Elephant Tusk
North aspect
Highest point
Elevation5,254 ft (1,601 m)[1]
Prominence1,389 ft (423 m)[1]
Isolation2.13 mi (3.43 km)[2]
Coordinates29°09′26″N 103°16′04″W / 29.1573556°N 103.2676664°W / 29.1573556; -103.2676664[3]
Geography
Elephant Tusk is located in Texas
Elephant Tusk
Elephant Tusk
Location of Elephant Tusk in Texas
Elephant Tusk is located in the United States
Elephant Tusk
Elephant Tusk
Elephant Tusk (the United States)
CountryUnited States
StateTexas
CountyBrewster
Protected areaBig Bend National Park[1]
Parent rangeChisos Mountains[1]
Topo mapUSGS Emory Peak
Geology
Rock ageOligocene
Rock typeIgneous rock
Climbing
Easiest routeclass 4 scrambling[2]

Description

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Elephant Tusk is part of the Chisos Mountains where it is set in Big Bend National Park and the Chihuahuan Desert. The mountain is an igneous intrusion composed of rhyolite which formed 29 million years ago during the Oligocene period.[4][5] Based on the Köppen climate classification, the mountain is located in a hot arid climate zone with hot summers and mild winters.[6] Any scant precipitation runoff from the peak's slopes drains to the Rio Grande which is 11 miles (18 km) to the south. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 1,950 feet (594 m) above surrounding terrain in one-half mile (0.8 km). The mountain's toponym was officially adopted on March 9, 1939, by the United States Board on Geographic Names after having been marked as "Indianola Peak" on various maps dating back to 1905.[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Elephant Tusk, Texas". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  2. ^ a b "Elephant Tusk - 5,249' TX". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  3. ^ a b "Elephant Tusk". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  4. ^ Geologic Map of the Chisos Mountains, Big Bend National Park, Texas, Robert G. Bohannon, 2011, U.S. Geological Survey.
  5. ^ Joseph A. DiPietro, Geology and Landscape Evolution, Elsevier, 2018, ISBN 9780128111925, p. 416.
  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.
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