Barber Peak facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Barber Peak |
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| Tsé Naajin | |
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West aspect
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 5,778 ft (1,761 m) |
| Prominence | 308 ft (94 m) |
| Isolation | 1.47 mi (2.37 km) |
| Parent peak | Table Mesa (5,850 ft) |
| Geography | |
 Barber Peak
Location in New Mexico
Barber Peak
Location in the United States
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| Location | San Juan County, New Mexico, US |
| Parent range | Chuska Mountains Colorado Plateau |
| Topo map | USGS Table Mesa |
| Geology | |
| Age of rock | Oligocene |
| Mountain type | Volcanic plug |
| Type of rock | Volcanic breccia |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | 1981 by M. Dalen, D. Nordstrom |
| Easiest route | Southeast gully, class 5.8+ |
Barber Peak is a cool mountain in northwest New Mexico, United States. It stands 5,778 feet (1,761 meters) tall. This peak is a special type of mountain called a volcanic plug. It is located on land belonging to the Navajo Nation in San Juan County.
Barber Peak is easy to spot. It sits about half a mile east of U.S. Route 491. It's about 15 miles south of the town of Shiprock, New Mexico. The mountain rises about 300 feet (90 meters) above the flat desert land around it.
About Barber Peak
Barber Peak is part of the Navajo Volcanic Field. This area has many interesting rock formations. These rocks formed about 30 million years ago. This time period is known as the Oligocene epoch.
The Navajo people have a special name for this peak. They call it Tsé Naajin. This name means "black downward rock." It describes how the peak looks.
How Barber Peak Formed
Barber Peak is a volcanic plug. This means it's the hardened lava and rock that filled the vent of an ancient volcano. Over millions of years, the softer rock around it wore away. This left the harder volcanic core standing tall.
It is also a type of diatreme. Diatremes are volcanic pipes formed when magma and gas explode through the Earth's surface. This creates a cone-shaped hole that later fills with volcanic rock. Barber Peak is one of many such formations in the Four Corners area.
Nearby Landmarks
Barber Peak has some interesting neighbors. Table Mesa is a higher peak located one mile to the west. Another cool rock formation, Cathedral Cliff, is about 1.5 miles to the northwest.
The famous Shiprock peak is about 11 miles southeast of Barber Peak. Shiprock is the most well-known volcanic plug in this region.
Climate Around Barber Peak
The area around Barber Peak has a semi-arid climate. This means it gets very little rain. Winters are cold, and summers are hot.
Any rain that does fall on Barber Peak flows into the San Juan River. This river is part of the larger Colorado River system.
