| Uinta Mountains | |
|---|---|
 This view ofKings Peak and the Henry's Fork Basin shows the cliff bands and basins typical throughout the Uintas. | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Kings Peak |
| Elevation | 13,528 ft (4,123 m) |
| Coordinates | 40°46′34″N110°22′22″W / 40.776111°N 110.372778°W /40.776111; -110.372778 |
| Geography | |
 | |
| Country | United States |
| States |
|
| Range coordinates | 40°46′N110°35′W / 40.767°N 110.583°W /40.767; -110.583 |
| Parent range | Rocky Mountains |
| Geology | |
| Rock age | Precambrian |
| Rock types |
|
TheUinta Mountains (/juːˈɪntə/yoo-IN-tə) are an east-west trendingmountain range in northeasternUtah extending a short distance into northwest Colorado and slightly into southwesternWyoming in theUnited States. As a subrange of theRocky Mountains, they are unusual for being the highest range in thecontiguous United States running east to west,[1] and lie approximately 100 miles (160 km) east ofSalt Lake City. The range has peaks ranging from 11,000 to 13,528 feet (3,353 to 4,123 m), with the highest point beingKings Peak, also the highest point in Utah. TheMirror Lake Highway crosses the western half of the Uintas on its way to Wyoming.Utah State Route 44 crosses the east end of the Uintas betweenVernal andManila.
The name "Uinta" derives from theUte wordYoov-we-teuh, meaning "pine forest" or "pine tree".[2]
.jpg)
The Uinta Mountains areLaramideupliftedmetasedimentary rocks deposited in an intracratonic basin in southwestLaurentia during the time of the breakup of thesupercontinentRodinia. The marine and fluvial metasedimentary rocks in the core of the Uinta Mountains are ofNeoproterozoic age[3] (between about 700 million and 760 million[4] years old) and consist primarily ofquartzite,slate, andshale. These rocks comprise theUinta Mountain Group, and reach thicknesses of 13,000 to 24,000 feet (4.0 to 7.3 km). Most of the high peaks are outcrops of the Uinta Mountain Group. Many of the peaks are ringed with bands of cliffs, rising to form broad or flat tops.[5] The mountains are bounded to the north and south byreverse faults that meet below the range, on the north by the North Flank fault and on the south by the Uinta Basin boundary fault.[6]
The Uinta Mountain Group, from oldest to youngest, includes Uinta Mountain undividedquartz arenite, overlain by the Moosehorn Lake, Mount Watson, Hades Peak, and Red Shale formations.[7] The flanks of the east-west trending Uinta Mountains contain a sequence ofPaleozoic andMesozoic strata ranging from theCambrianLodore Formation to theCretaceousMancos Shale, all of which have been tilted during the uplift of the mountain range.
The uplift of the range dates to theLaramide orogeny, about 70 to 50 million years ago, when compressive forces produced high-anglereverse faults on both the north and south sides of the present mountain range. The east-west orientation of the Uintas is anomalous compared to most of the ranges of theRocky Mountains; it may relate to changing stress patterns and rotation of theColorado Plateau.[8] The Green River used to flow into theMississippi River to theGulf of Mexico, but changed to the Colorado River by going through the Uintas in ways not fully understood.[9]
The high Uintas were extensively glaciated during the lastice age, and most of the large stream valleys on both the north and south sides of the range held longvalley glaciers.[10] However, despite reaching to over 13,500 feet (4,110 m) in elevation, the climate today is sufficiently dry that no glaciers survived even before the rapidcurrent glacial retreat began in the middle nineteenth century. The Uintas are the most poleward mountain range in the world to reach over 13,000 feet (4,000 m) without modern glaciers, and are in fact the highest mountain range in the contiguous United States with no modern glaciers.Permafrost occurs at elevations above 10,000 feet (3,000 m)[11] and at times forms largerock glaciers.
Soils in the Uinta Mountains are acidic to varying degrees, in contrast to the neutral or alkalinepH readings which prevail at lower elevations across most of Utah.[12]
Between the summits and ridgelines are wide, level basins with around 500 small lakes. One of the most popular lakes isMirror Lake because of its good fishing, scenic views, and easy road access.
The south and east sides of the range are largely within theColorado River watershed, including theBlacks Fork and theDuchesne River, which are tributaries of theGreen River. The Green is the major tributary of the Colorado River and flows in a tight arc around the eastern side of the range. (Indeed, John Wesley Powell said the Green was the "master stream" where it and the Colorado River came together.)
TheBear andWeber rivers, the two largest tributaries ofGreat Salt Lake, are born on the west slope of the range. TheProvo River, the largest tributary toUtah Lake, begins on the southern side of the range and flows west to Utah Lake, which itself drains via theJordan River into Great Salt Lake.
Large portions of the mountain range receive over 40 inches (100 cm) of precipitation annually.[13] The high Uintas are snowcapped most of the year except for late July through early September. The Uinta Mountains have more than 400 miles (640 km) of streams and 1,000 lakes and ponds.[14]
The Uintas have a continental snowpack leading to high avalanche danger in the winter.[15]
The Uinta Mountains are part of theWasatch and Uinta montane forestsecoregion. Nearly the entire range lies withinUinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest (on the north and west) andAshley National Forest (on the south and east). The range's highest peaks are protected as part of theHigh Uintas Wilderness. The forests contain many species of trees, includinglodgepole pine,subalpine fir,Engelmann spruce,Douglas-fir, andquaking aspen. There are also many species of grasses, shrubs, andforbs growing in the Uinta Mountains.
Fauna is typical of the central Rocky Mountains. Large grazing and browsing animals include the Rocky Mountain elk, mule deer, moose, pronghorn antelope, mountain goats, and Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep. Mammalian predators include the American black bear, mountain lion, coyotes, red fox, badger, wolverine, marten, and the long-tailed weasel. A gray wolf pack has been observed at the eastern end of the range, in Moffat County, Colorado. Raptors include bald and golden eagles, turkey vultures, various hawks and harriers, and owls including the great horned owl, great grey owl, and barn owls. Other notable large birds include the sage grouse and white-tailed ptarmigan.
The Uintas are home toCamp Steiner, the highestBoy Scout camp in the U.S., at 10,400 feet (3,200 m). The camp is near mile marker 33 of the Mirror Lake Highway.
TheUinta Highline Trail traverses the entire range and is a popular backpacking trail.
Dinosaur National Monument is on the Uintas' southeast flank, on the border between Colorado and Utah.
Salt Lake City (capital) | |||||||||||
| Topics | |||||||||||
| Society | |||||||||||
| Regions | |||||||||||
| Largest cities | |||||||||||
| Counties | |||||||||||
| Important sites |
| ||||||||||
| History |
| ||||||||||
| Flora and fauna | |||||||||||
| Culture | |||||||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
