Drum Mountains facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Drum Mountains |
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 Drum Mountains
Location in Utah
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| Highest point | |
| Peak | Lady Laird Peak |
| Elevation | 6,982 ft (2,128 m) |
| Geography | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Juab and Millard counties, Utah |
The Drum Mountains (also known as the Detroit Mountains) are a group of mountains located in the desert areas of western Utah. You can find them in Juab and Millard counties. These mountains are part of a huge region called the Basin and Range Province. This province stretches from central Utah all the way to eastern California. It also goes from southern Idaho down into Sonora, Mexico. The Basin and Range Province is known for its many mountain ranges and valleys that generally run north to south.
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What are the Drum Mountains?
The Drum Mountains are a desert mountain range. This means they are found in a dry, desert environment. They are a natural part of Utah's landscape. The highest point in the Drum Mountains is Lady Laird Peak, which stands at 6,982 feet (2,128 meters) tall.
How were the Drum Mountains formed?
Ancient Seas and Rocks
Millions of years ago, during a time called the Cambrian period, the area where the Drum Mountains now stand was completely underwater. It was covered by an ancient sea! Because of this, a lot of marine sediments were laid down. These sediments eventually turned into the rocks we see today.
Limestone and Shale
The main types of rocks you'll find in the Drum Mountains are limestones and shales. These rocks formed from the mud, sand, and shells that settled at the bottom of that ancient sea. Geologists can tell that these rocks came from deeper parts of the ocean, like slopes leading to the deep sea or the outer edges of underwater shelves.
A Complete Geological Story
What's really special about the Drum Mountains is how complete their rock layers are. This means there are no big missing pieces of time in their geological record. The layers of rock are also mostly undisturbed. They haven't been greatly folded or broken up by earthquakes or other powerful forces.
Because of this amazing completeness and lack of disturbance, scientists chose this area to define the beginning of the Drumian stage. The Drumian stage is a specific part of the geologic time scale. It helps scientists around the world understand Earth's history better.
