Temple of the Sun (Utah)

Temple of the Sun is a 5,822-foot (1,775-meter) elevation summit located in Capitol Reef National Park, in Wayne County of Utah, United States.[2] This remote, iconic monolith is situated 12.5 mi (20.1 km) north-northeast of the park's visitor center, and 0.37 mi (0.60 km) north of Temple of the Moon, in the Middle Desert of the park's North (Cathedral Valley) District. Cathedral Valley was so named in 1945 by Charles Kelly, first superintendent of Capitol Reef National Monument, because the valley's sandstone monoliths reminded early explorers of ornate, Gothic cathedrals, with fluted walls, alcoves, and pinnacles.[5] The free-standing Temple of the Sun towers over 400 feet (120 meters) above its surrounding terrain, which is within the Fremont River drainage basin. John C. Frémont's 1853 expedition passed through Cathedral Valley.[6]

Temple of the Sun
Temple of the Sun, north aspect
Highest point
Elevation5,822 ft (1,775 m)[1]
Prominence402 ft (123 m)[1]
Parent peakPoint 6529[1]
Isolation1.50 mi (2.41 km)[1]
Coordinates38°27′04″N 111°11′34″W[2]
Geography
Temple of the Sun is located in Utah
Temple of the Sun
Temple of the Sun
Location in Utah
Temple of the Sun is located in the United States
Temple of the Sun
Temple of the Sun
Temple of the Sun (the United States)
LocationCapitol Reef National Park
Wayne County, Utah, US
Parent rangeColorado Plateau
Topo mapUSGS Fruita NW
Geology
Age of rockJurassic
Type of rockEntrada Sandstone
Climbing
Easiest routeclosed to climbing[3][4]

Geology

Temple of the Sun is composed of unfractured, buff-pink Entrada Sandstone.[5] The sandstone, which was originally deposited as sandy mud on a tidal flat, is believed to have formed about 160 million years ago during the Jurassic period as a giant sand sea, the largest in Earth's history.[7] Strata in Cathedral Valley have a gentle inclination of three to five degrees to the east, and appear nearly horizontal. Long after these sedimentary rocks were deposited, the Colorado Plateau was uplifted relatively evenly, keeping the layers roughly horizontal, but Capitol Reef is an exception because of the Waterpocket Fold, a classic monocline, which formed between 50 and 70 million years ago during the Laramide Orogeny.[8]

Climate

Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to visit Temple of the Sun. 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 32 °F (0 °C), 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 millimeters) of annual rainfall, and snowfall is generally light during the winter.

Climate data for Capitol Reef Visitor Center, elevation 5,653 ft (1,723 m), 1981-2010 normals, extremes 1981-2019
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 58.6
(14.8)		 68.3
(20.2)		 78.3
(25.7)		 84.4
(29.1)		 94.6
(34.8)		 100.2
(37.9)		 100.8
(38.2)		 97.9
(36.6)		 95.4
(35.2)		 86.1
(30.1)		 70.4
(21.3)		 61.5
(16.4)		 100.8
(38.2)
Average high °F (°C) 40.6
(4.8)		 46.4
(8.0)		 54.7
(12.6)		 65.0
(18.3)		 74.5
(23.6)		 85.3
(29.6)		 90.4
(32.4)		 87.9
(31.1)		 80.2
(26.8)		 66.1
(18.9)		 51.3
(10.7)		 40.6
(4.8)		 65.3
(18.5)
Average low °F (°C) 17.8
(−7.9)		 22.7
(−5.2)		 30.2
(−1.0)		 36.2
(2.3)		 44.7
(7.1)		 53.1
(11.7)		 60.4
(15.8)		 58.5
(14.7)		 50.4
(10.2)		 39.0
(3.9)		 27.6
(−2.4)		 18.2
(−7.7)		 38.3
(3.5)
Record low °F (°C) −4.2
(−20.1)		 −11.8
(−24.3)		 9.1
(−12.7)		 18.1
(−7.7)		 27.2
(−2.7)		 34.6
(1.4)		 42.4
(5.8)		 45.1
(7.3)		 29.9
(−1.2)		 11.7
(−11.3)		 8.0
(−13.3)		 −7.5
(−21.9)		 −11.8
(−24.3)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 0.52
(13)		 0.34
(8.6)		 0.53
(13)		 0.47
(12)		 0.59
(15)		 0.47
(12)		 0.91
(23)		 1.20
(30)		 0.80
(20)		 0.98
(25)		 0.49
(12)		 0.32
(8.1)		 7.62
(194)
Average dew point °F (°C) 17.3
(−8.2)		 20.8
(−6.2)		 23.0
(−5.0)		 24.5
(−4.2)		 29.1
(−1.6)		 32.0
(0.0)		 40.0
(4.4)		 41.8
(5.4)		 34.8
(1.6)		 28.2
(−2.1)		 21.9
(−5.6)		 17.5
(−8.1)		 27.6
(−2.4)
Source: PRISM[9]

See also

References
  1. "Temple of the Sun - 5,822' UT". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2020-10-28.
  2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Temple of the Sun
  3. Caitol Reef Rock Climbing, Utah.com
  4. Capitol Reef Rock Climbing and Bouldering, nps.gov
  5. North (Cathedral Valley) District, National Park Service
  6. Peter Massey, Jeanne Wilson, Utah Trails Central Region, 2006, Adler Publishing Company, page 106.
  7. Capitol Reef National Park, National Park Service
  8. Capitol Reef Geology, NPS.gov
  9. "PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University". Retrieved February 19, 2019.
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