Boundary Butte (Rainbow Plateau)

Boundary Butte is a 4,934-foot (1,504 meter) elevation sandstone summit located south of Lake Powell, in extreme southwestern San Juan County, Utah, United States, just north of the Arizona border.[1] It is situated on Navajo Nation land, 11.5 miles (18.5 km) northeast of the town of Page, and towers 1,200 feet above the lake as a landmark of the area. It lies on the Utah-Arizona border, hence its name.

Boundary Butte
Northwest aspect
Highest point
Elevation4,934 ft (1,504 m)[1]
Prominence897 ft (273 m)[2]
Parent peakTower Butte[2]
Isolation2.58 mi (4.15 km)[2]
Coordinates37°00′05″N 111°17′13″W / 37.0015162°N 111.2868553°W / 37.0015162; -111.2868553[1]
Geography
Boundary Butte is located in Utah
Boundary Butte
Boundary Butte
Location in Utah
Boundary Butte is located in the United States
Boundary Butte
Boundary Butte
Boundary Butte (the United States)
LocationNavajo Reservation
San Juan County, Utah, U.S.
Parent rangeColorado Plateau
Topo mapUSGS Gunsight Butte
Geology
Rock ageJurassic
Rock typeEntrada Sandstone
Climbing
Easiest routeclass 5.x climbing[2]

Geology

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Boundary Butte is a butte composed primarily of Entrada Sandstone, similar to Dominguez Butte 2.5 miles (4.0 km) to the north, and Tower Butte 2.6 miles (4.2 km) to the southwest. The Entrada Sandstone overlays Carmel Formation, and below that Page Sandstone at lake level. Above the Entrada layers is Romana Sandstone capped by Morrison Formation.[3] It is located in the southern edge of the Great Basin Desert on the Colorado Plateau. Precipitation runoff from this feature drains into the Colorado River watershed.

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Climate

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According to the Köppen climate classification system, Boundary Butte is located in an arid climate zone with hot, very dry summers, and chilly winters with very little snow.[4] Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to visit.

Climate data for Page, Arizona
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 64
(18)
72
(22)
82
(28)
91
(33)
102
(39)
107
(42)
109
(43)
106
(41)
100
(38)
93
(34)
77
(25)
66
(19)
109
(43)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 43.1
(6.2)
50.3
(10.2)
59.5
(15.3)
68.5
(20.3)
78.5
(25.8)
90.2
(32.3)
95.1
(35.1)
92.0
(33.3)
83.5
(28.6)
69.7
(20.9)
53.8
(12.1)
43.7
(6.5)
69.0
(20.6)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 26.3
(−3.2)
30.4
(−0.9)
37.0
(2.8)
43.6
(6.4)
52.6
(11.4)
62.3
(16.8)
68.3
(20.2)
66.4
(19.1)
58.4
(14.7)
46.6
(8.1)
34.7
(1.5)
27.1
(−2.7)
46.1
(7.8)
Record low °F (°C) −11
(−24)
6
(−14)
18
(−8)
25
(−4)
31
(−1)
44
(7)
56
(13)
46
(8)
40
(4)
24
(−4)
16
(−9)
1
(−17)
−11
(−24)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 0.61
(15)
0.48
(12)
0.65
(17)
0.50
(13)
0.40
(10)
0.14
(3.6)
0.58
(15)
0.69
(18)
0.66
(17)
0.99
(25)
0.56
(14)
0.48
(12)
6.74
(171.6)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 2.1
(5.3)
1.2
(3.0)
0.2
(0.51)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0.5
(1.3)
1.4
(3.6)
5.4
(13.71)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 4.5 4.0 5.2 3.5 3.2 1.7 4.6 5.2 4.5 4.3 3.2 3.9 47.8
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) 0.9 0.6 0.3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.2 0.6 2.6
Source: NOAA[5]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Boundary Butte". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
  2. ^ a b c d "Boundary Butte - 4,997' UT". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
  3. ^ "T.C. Chidsey, Jr., D.A. Sprinkel, G.C. Willis, P.B. Anderson Lake Powell Geologic Guide, page 63" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-08-14. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
  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 (5): 1633. Bibcode:2007HESS...11.1633P. doi:10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007. ISSN 1027-5606.
  5. ^ "Climatography of the United States No. 20 (1971–2000)" (PDF). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2004. Retrieved 2010-05-31.[permanent dead link]
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