West Elk Peak

West Elk Peak
West Elk Peak
	West Elk Peak
Highest point
Elevation	13,042 ft (3,975 m)
Prominence	3,095 ft (943 m)
Isolation	13.78 mi (22.18 km)
Listing	Colorado prominent summits; Colorado range high points
Coordinates	38°43′04″N 107°11′58″W / 38.7179°N 107.1994284°W
Geography
	West Elk Peak Colorado
Location	Gunnison County, Colorado, U.S.
Parent range	Highest summit of the; West Elk Mountains
Topo map(s)	USGS 7.5' topographic map; West Elk Peak, Colorado

West Elk Peak, elevation 13,042 ft (3,975 m), is the highest summit in the West Elk Mountains of Gunnison County, Colorado.^[3] The mountain is in the West Elk Wilderness, northwest of Gunnison. The terrain consists mostly of volcanic breccia, known in this area as West Elk Breccia, dated at 35 to 30 million years old.

Geological History - The decipherable known geological history of this peak began in the late Paleozoic, where it formed into the eastern edge of the Uncompahgre highland. Around 10,000 to 15,000 feet of sediment covered the old highland surface in the Mesozoic and early Cenozoic. During the Oligocene, the Colorado mineral belt began to form with the intrusion of two batholiths. One of these batholiths rose sufficiently near the surface, enough to feed volcanoes in the West Elk and San Juan Mountains. The resulting volcanic pile has been subjected to intermittent, occasional uplift as well as being shaped by water and ice. Mineral deposits are somewhat scarce in the surrounding area of the peak, but bituminous coal has been mined on the northern and eastern flanks.^[5]

Historical names

West Elk Mountain
West Elk Peak ^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "WEST ELK D". NGS Data Sheet. National Geodetic Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Department of Commerce. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
^ The elevation of West Elk Peak includes an adjustment of +2.105 m (+6.91 ft) from NGVD 29 to NAVD 88.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "West Elk Peak, Colorado". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
^ ^a ^b "West Elk Peak". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
^ Young, Robert G.; Young, Joann W. (1984). Colorado west : land of geology and wildflowers (Rev. ed.). Grand Junction, Colo.: R.G. Young. ISBN 0961101008. OCLC 12639106.

External links

This Colorado state location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[NGS-1] "WEST ELK D". NGS Data Sheet. National Geodetic Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Department of Commerce. Retrieved October 22, 2014.

[NAVD88-2] The elevation of West Elk Peak includes an adjustment of +2.105 m (+6.91 ft) from NGVD 29 to NAVD 88.

[PB-3] "West Elk Peak, Colorado". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved October 22, 2014.

[GNIS-4] "West Elk Peak". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved October 29, 2014.

[5] Young, Robert G.; Young, Joann W. (1984). Colorado west : land of geology and wildflowers (Rev. ed.). Grand Junction, Colo.: R.G. Young. ISBN 0961101008. OCLC 12639106.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

v t e State of Colorado
Denver (capital)
Topics	Bibliography Index Outline Climate change Colleges Coloradans Elections Federal lands Geography Government Historic places History Images Indian reservations Law Lists Military Mountains Municipalities Museums National Forests National Parks Paleontology Prehistoric sites Prehistory Protected areas Railroads Rivers Slavery Statistical areas Symbols Timeline Tourist attractions Towns Trails Transportation Wildernesses
Society	Abortion Crime Culture Demographics Economy Education Gun laws Homelessness LGBT rights Politics Religion Sports
Cities	Alamosa Arvada Aspen Aurora Black Hawk Boulder Brighton Broomfield Brush Burlington Cañon City Castle Pines Centennial Central City Cherry Hills Village Colorado Springs Commerce City Cortez Craig Cripple Creek Dacono Delta Denver Durango Edgewater Englewood Evans Federal Heights Florence Fort Collins Fort Lupton Fort Morgan Fountain Fruita Glendale Glenwood Springs Golden Grand Junction Greeley Greenwood Village Gunnison Holyoke Idaho Springs La Junta Lafayette Lakewood Lamar Las Animas Leadville Littleton Lone Tree Longmont Louisville Loveland Manitou Springs Monte Vista Montrose Northglenn Ouray Pueblo Rifle Rocky Ford Salida Sheridan Steamboat Springs Sterling Thornton Trinidad Victor Walsenburg Westminster Wheat Ridge Woodland Park Wray Yuma
Counties	Adams Alamosa Arapahoe Archuleta Baca Bent Boulder Broomfield Chaffee Cheyenne Clear Creek Conejos Costilla Crowley Custer Delta Denver Dolores Douglas Eagle El Paso Elbert Fremont Garfield Gilpin Grand Gunnison Hinsdale Huerfano Jackson Jefferson Kiowa Kit Carson La Plata Lake Larimer Las Animas Lincoln Logan Mesa Mineral Moffat Montezuma Montrose Morgan Otero Ouray Park Phillips Pitkin Prowers Pueblo Rio Blanco Rio Grande Routt Saguache San Juan San Miguel Sedgwick Summit Teller Washington Weld Yuma
Regions	Central Colorado Eastern Plains Colorado Mineral Belt Colorado Piedmont Colorado Plateau Colorado Western Slope Denver Metropolitan Area Four Corners Region Front Range Urban Corridor High Plains North Central Colorado Urban Area Northwestern Colorado San Luis Valley South-Central Colorado South Central Colorado Urban Area Southern Rocky Mountains Southwest Colorado
Colorado portal

Historical names

See also

References

External links