Shiprock
Shiprock | |
---|---|
Tsé Bitʼaʼí | |
Highest point | |
Elevation | 7,177 ft (2,188 m) |
Prominence | 1,583 ft (482 m) |
Coordinates | 36°41′15″N 108°50′11″W / 36.68750°N 108.83639°W[1] |
Geography | |
Location | |
Designated | 1975 |
Shiprock (
Governed by the Navajo Nation, the formation is in the Four Corners region and plays a significant role in Navajo religion, myth, and tradition. Shiprock is a point of interest for rock climbers and photographers and has been featured in several film productions and novels. It is the most prominent landmark in northwestern New Mexico. In 1975, Shiprock was designated a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service.[5]
Name
The Navajo name for the peak, Tsé Bitʼaʼí, "rock with wings" or "winged rock", refers to the legend of the great bird that brought the Navajo from the north to their present lands.[6][7] The name "Shiprock" or Shiprock Peak or Ship Rock derives from the peak's resemblance to an enormous 19th-century clipper ship. Americans first called the peak "The Needle", a name given to the topmost pinnacle by Captain J. F. McComb in 1860.[7] United States Geological Survey maps indicate that the name "Ship Rock" dates from the 1870s.[6][7]
Geology
Shiprock, an example of a
Climbing history and legal status
The
Since then at least seven routes have been climbed on the peak, all of them of great technical difficulty. A modification of the original route is recorded as the easiest, and it is rated as
The idea of climbing Shiprock is repugnant to many Navajo people. Climbing has been illegal since 1970.[11][12][13] In spite of this, rock climbers continue to see Shiprock as an interesting place to climb.
Serious injuries to three climbers in March 1970 caused the Navajo Nation to ban rock climbing not only on Shiprock but all over the Navajo Nation on monoliths, spires and within tribal parks under the jurisdiction of Navajo Parks & Recreation. The Navajo Nation announced that the ban was "absolute, final and unconditional".[14]
According to reports from the Navajo Parks and Recreation Department, which administers recreational activities on Navajo land, there have been false claims that the department allows rock climbing and cooperates with rock climbing organizations. A 2006 press release addressing Monument Valley, another area of monoliths within the Navajo Nation, states:
Reports of the Navajo Parks and Recreation Department allowing rock climbing are false. Yet several websites have postings on how to evade Navajo Nation regulations and proceed with dangerous and illegal rock climbs in [Monument Valley]. Even more serious than the possible physical harm illegal climbs could pose is the religious damage done to the Navajo people by these non-Navajo visitors. The Monuments are sacred to the Navajo people and any human interaction (by Navajo or non-Navajo) is strictly off limits. Please abide by the humble religious requests of the Navajo people and do not climb the Monuments. 'Navajo law will be strictly enforced on this issue,' Parks Department Manager Ray Russell also added.[15]
Permits are issued by the department to camp and hike in some areas, but not for sacred monuments such as Shiprock.
Religious and cultural significance
Shiprock and the surrounding land have religious and historical significance to the
Navajo legend puts the peak in a larger geographic context. Shiprock is said to be either a medicine pouch or a bow carried by the "Goods of Value Mountain", a large mythic male figure comprising several mountain features throughout the region. The Chuska Mountains comprise the body, Chuska Peak is the head, the Carrizo Mountains are the legs, and Beautiful Mountain is the feet.[7]
Navajo legend has it that Bird Monsters (Tsé Ninájálééh) nested on the peak and fed on human flesh. After
Climate
Climate data for Shiprock, NM | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 66 (19) |
78 (26) |
83 (28) |
91 (33) |
99 (37) |
107 (42) |
109 (43) |
106 (41) |
99 (37) |
92 (33) |
78 (26) |
72 (22) |
109 (43) |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 43.0 (6.1) |
50.6 (10.3) |
59.9 (15.5) |
70.0 (21.1) |
79.8 (26.6) |
90.1 (32.3) |
94.6 (34.8) |
91.9 (33.3) |
85.1 (29.5) |
72.4 (22.4) |
56.2 (13.4) |
44.1 (6.7) |
69.8 (21.0) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 15.7 (−9.1) |
21.5 (−5.8) |
27.5 (−2.5) |
34.9 (1.6) |
43.8 (6.6) |
51.2 (10.7) |
58.8 (14.9) |
57.3 (14.1) |
48.0 (8.9) |
36.0 (2.2) |
25.1 (−3.8) |
16.9 (−8.4) |
36.4 (2.5) |
Record low °F (°C) | −18 (−28) |
−14 (−26) |
2 (−17) |
9 (−13) |
15 (−9) |
28 (−2) |
30 (−1) |
33 (1) |
21 (−6) |
10 (−12) |
0 (−18) |
−26 (−32) |
−26 (−32) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.46 (12) |
0.46 (12) |
0.54 (14) |
0.41 (10) |
0.51 (13) |
0.29 (7.4) |
0.66 (17) |
1.00 (25) |
0.80 (20) |
0.78 (20) |
0.52 (13) |
0.57 (14) |
7 (177.4) |
Average snowfall inches (cm) | 1.6 (4.1) |
0.7 (1.8) |
0.6 (1.5) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0.2 (0.51) |
1.0 (2.5) |
4.1 (10.41) |
Source: http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?nm8284 |
Gallery
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Aerial view of Shiprock in true color
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Shiprock on a 1962 U.S. commemorative stamp
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Aerial view of Shiprock and Shiprock Dike, with the San Juan River behind
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Shiprock monochrome image (2021)
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Shiprock formation in New Mexico, USA showing the 5-mille long dike radiating to the south.
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Shiprock and associated dikes taken by NASA in 2006 with the Terra satellite. The colors shown represent infrared wavelengths: Lush vegetation appears bright red, while different kinds of rock with less vegetation appear in shades of gray, black, and tan.[17]
See also
- Rock formations in the United States
- Volcanic plug
- Diné Bahaneʼ
References
- ^ "Ship Rock". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved November 30, 2008.
- ^ a b c d Audrey Salkeld, editor, World Mountaineering, Bulfinch, 1998.
- ^ a b Herbert E. Ungnade, Guide to the New Mexico Mountains, Sage Books, 1965, pp. 170–172.
- ISBN 0-7818-0247-4.
- ^ "National Natural Landmarks - National Natural Landmarks (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
Year designated: 1975
- ^ ISBN 978-0-937206-88-1
- ^ ISBN 0-87480-623-2, p. 264–265.
- ISBN 0-89577-087-3.
- ISSN 1524-4156
- ^ Paul T. Delaney, Ship Rock, New Mexico: The vent of a violent volcanic eruption, Geological Society of America Centennial Field Guide—Rocky Mountain Section, pp. 411–415, 1987.
- ISBN 0-87156-292-8. page 214
- ^ "Navajo Parks and Recreation Department". Archived from the original on May 30, 2015. Retrieved September 20, 2008.
- ^ "Shiprock Chapter". Archived from the original on August 28, 2008. Retrieved September 20, 2008.
- ^ ""Shiprock and the Los Alamos Mountaineers"". Retrieved November 9, 2020.
- ^ 2006 Press release about climbing in Monument Valley
- ^ Shiprock on Dark Isle
- ^ "Shiprock Formation, New Mexico". June 24, 2006.