Jeptha Knob is the highest point in the Bluegrass region of Kentucky. It is located on private property in Shelby County, Kentucky, about eight miles east of Shelbyville near the hamlet of Clay Village and rises some 300 ft (90 m) higher than the surrounding rolling farmland.
| Jeptha Knob | |
|---|---|
  Jeptha Knob Location in Kentucky | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 1,188 ft (362 m) NAVD 88[1] |
| Coordinates | 38°10′38″N 85°06′41″W / 38.177275389°N 85.111378894°W[1] |
| Geography | |
| Location | Shelby County, Kentucky, United States |
| Topo map | USGS Waddy |
| Geology | |
| Mountain type(s) | Astrobleme (unconfirmed), Cryptodome (unconfirmed) |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | Short hike |
Geography
editThe knob is located almost exactly midway between Lexington and Louisville and is the symbolic dividing point between both cities' hinterlands. There are four points in the area that contend for the highest point.[2] The location and elevation given here is that of a National Geodetic Survey benchmark.
Impact structure
editThe Kentucky historical marker at its base calls it a "cryptovolcanic structure", but it is now believed to be the result of an asteroid impact some 425 million years ago.[3] Iridium apparently has been found in anomalously high levels in breccias associated with the structure.[4]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Jeptha Knob". NGS Data Sheet. National Geodetic Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Department of Commerce.
- ^ "Jeptha Knob Benchmark, Kentucky". Peakbagger.com.
- ^ "Did You Know That Meteorites Have Hit Kentucky?". Kentucky Geological Survey. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
- ^ Seeger, C. R., Asaro, F., Michel, H., Alvarez, W., & Alvarez, L. (1985). Iridium Discovery at the Jeptha Knob Cryptoexplosion Structure, Kentucky, LUNAR AND PLANETARY SCIENCE XVI, pp. 757-758.