Lost Mine Peak is a 7,547-foot-elevation (2,300-meter) summit in Brewster County, Texas, United States.

Lost Mine Peak
Southwest aspect, from Lost Mine Trail
Highest point
Elevation7,547 ft (2,300 m)[1]
Prominence1,460 ft (445 m)[1]
Parent peakEmory Peak (7,825 ft)[1]
Isolation3.2 mi (5.1 km)[2]
Coordinates29°16′32″N 103°15′30″W / 29.2755642°N 103.2583928°W / 29.2755642; -103.2583928[3]
Geography
Lost Mine Peak is located in Texas
Lost Mine Peak
Lost Mine Peak
Location of Lost Mine Peak in Texas
Lost Mine Peak is located in the United States
Lost Mine Peak
Lost Mine Peak
Lost Mine Peak (the United States)
CountryUnited States
StateTexas
CountyBrewster
Protected areaBig Bend National Park[2]
Parent rangeChisos Mountains[2]
Topo mapUSGS The Basin
Geology
Rock ageOligocene
Rock typeVolcanic rock (Rhyolite)[4]
Climbing
Easiest routeclass 4[1]

Description

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Lost Mine Peak is located in Big Bend National Park and the Chisos Mountains. It ranks as the third-highest peak in the park, mountain range, and county, but only the 20th-highest in Texas.[1][2] The mountain is composed of volcanic rock which formed during the Oligocene period.[5] Although modest in elevation, topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 2,150 feet (655 m) above Pine Canyon in 0.8 miles (1.3 km), and 2,550 feet (777 m) above Juniper Canyon in 1.5 miles (2.4 km). Based on the Köppen climate classification, Lost Mine Peak is located in a hot arid climate zone with hot summers and mild winters.[6] Any scant precipitation runoff from the mountain's slopes drains into the Rio Grande watershed. The lower slopes of the peak are covered by juniper, oak, and piñon. The mountain's toponym has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names.[3] The peak's name comes from a legend of Spanish explorers finding silver here and enslaving local people to mine it. According to legend, the workers eventually rebelled, killed their enslavers, then sealed the entrance to prevent further exploitation.[7][8] The Lost Mine Trail was built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps and is the most scenic and popular trail within Big Bend National Park.[9] The trail covers 4.8 miles (round-trip) with 1,000 feet of elevation gain.[10]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Lost Mine Peak - 7,547' TX". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  2. ^ a b c d "Lost Mine Peak, Texas". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  3. ^ a b "Lost Mine Peak". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  4. ^ Grace C. Keroher, Lexicon of Geologic Names of the United States for 1961–1967, Geological Survey Bulletin 1350, 1970, p. 439–440.
  5. ^ Geologic Map of the Chisos Mountains, Big Bend National Park, Texas, Robert G. Bohannon, 2011, U.S. Geological Survey.
  6. ^ Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11. ISSN 1027-5606.
  7. ^ Lost Mine Trail Stop #26, National Park Service, Retrirved 2024-11-02.
  8. ^ Ron Tyler, The Big Bend: A History of the Last Texas Frontier, Texas A&M University Press, 1996, ISBN 9780890967065, p. 19.
  9. ^ Peter Koch, Exploring the Big Bend Country, University of Texas Press, 2009, ISBN 9780292779877, p. 42.
  10. ^ Robert Manning, Walks of a Lifetime in America's National Parks, Rowman & Littlefield, 2020, ISBN 9781493039265, p. 29.
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