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Ancient Art (Fisher Towers)

Coordinates: 38°43′18″N 109°18′16″W / 38.72161°N 109.30434°W / 38.72161; -109.30434
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ancient Art
Northwest aspect
Highest point
Elevation5,420 ft (1,652 m)[1]
Prominence160 ft (49 m)[1]
Parent peakKingfisher Tower[1]
Isolation0.13 mi (0.21 km)[1]
Coordinates38°43′18″N 109°18′16″W / 38.72161°N 109.30434°W / 38.72161; -109.30434[2]
Geography
Ancient Art is located in Utah
Ancient Art
Ancient Art
Location in Utah
Ancient Art is located in the United States
Ancient Art
Ancient Art
Ancient Art (the United States)
CountryUnited States
StateUtah
CountyGrand
Parent rangeColorado Plateau
Topo mapUSGS Fisher Towers
Geology
Age of rockPermian
Mountain typePillar
Type of rockSandstone
Climbing
First ascent1967

Ancient Art is a 5,420-foot-elevation (1,652-meter) pillar in Grand County, Utah, United States.

Description

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Ancient Art is located 17 miles (27 km) northeast of Moab, Utah, in the Fisher Towers, on land administered by the Bureau of Land Management. There are four summits known as the North Summit (highest), Corkscrew Summit, Middle Summit, and Kient Art Summit.[3] Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 700 feet (213 meters) above terrain in 0.2 mile (0.32 km). Precipitation runoff from the tower drains to Onion Creek which empties into the Colorado River, approximately three miles to the west. Access is via Fisher Towers Road from Route 128, and hiking on the Fisher Towers Trail.

Climbing

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The first ascent of the summit was made June 11, 1967, by Herbie Hendricks and Dennis Willis via the class 5.9 Hippie Route on the North Summit.[4]

Rock-climbing routes on Ancient Art:

  • Hippie Route - class 5.9 – Herbie Hendricks, Dennis Willis – (1967)[5]
  • Stolen Chimney (Corkscrew Summit) - class 5.10 – Paul Sibley and Bill Roos – (1969)[2]
  • Purebred (Middle Summit) - Harvey T. Carter, Dave Erickson, Ken Wyrick – (1971)[3]
  • Adjacent Art (Kient Art Summit) - class 5.8 – Pete Takeda, Eric Kohl – (1996)[6]

Geology

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Ancient Art is set on an eroded fin and is composed of 290 million years old sandstone, mudstone, and conglomerate of the Permian Cutler Formation.[7] The reddish coloration of the rock is a result of varying amounts of hematite.[8]

Climate

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Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to visit Ancient Art. According to the Köppen climate classification system, it is located in a cold semi-arid climate zone with cold winters and hot summers.[9] Summers highs rarely exceed 100 °F (38 °C). Summer nights are comfortably cool, and temperatures drop quickly after sunset. Winters are cold, but daytime highs are usually above freezing. Winter temperatures below 0 °F (−18 °C) are uncommon, though possible. This desert climate receives less than 10 inches (250 millimeters) of annual rainfall, and snowfall is generally light during the winter.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Ancient Art-Middle Summit - 5,420' UT". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  2. ^ a b Ancient Art Rock Climbing, Mountainproject.com, Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  3. ^ a b Ancient Art, Gripped Magazine, February 25, 2014, gripped.com, Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  4. ^ First Ascent Timeline, deserttowersbook.com, Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  5. ^ Cameron Burns, Selected Climbs in the Desert Southwest: Colorado and Utah, The Mountaineers Books, 1999, ISBN 9780898866575, p. 67.
  6. ^ The American Alpine Journal 1997, Eric Bjørnstad, The Mountaineers Books, ISBN 9781933056449, p. 155.
  7. ^ Castle Valley Overview United States of America, Virtual 3D Geoscience, v3geo.com, Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  8. ^ GeoSights: Fisher Towers – The towering red rock sculptures of Grand County, Utah, Carl Ege, Utah Geological Survey, Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  9. ^ 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): 1633–1644. Bibcode:2007HESS...11.1633P. doi:10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007. ISSN 1027-5606. S2CID 9654551.
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