Mosquito Range facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mosquito Range
Mount Lincoln
Highest point
Peak	Mount Lincoln
Elevation	14,286 ft (4,354 m)
Dimensions
Length	40 mi (64 km) NS
Geography
Country	United States
State	Colorado
Parent range	Rocky Mountains
Borders on	Sawatch Range
Geology
Orogeny	Laramide orogeny
Age of rock	Cretaceous – Paleogene
Type of rock	granite

The Mosquito Range is a tall mountain range in the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado, United States. Its peaks reach about 14,000 feet high.

It stretches about 40 miles (64 km) from north to south. This range forms a natural border between Lake and Park Counties. It acts like a big wall, separating the start of the Arkansas River near Leadville from an area called South Park, where the South Platte River begins.

The highest point in the range is Mount Lincoln, standing at 14,286 feet. Other very tall peaks, known as fourteeners (mountains over 14,000 feet), include Quandary Peak (14,272 ft), Mount Bross (14,172 ft), Mount Democrat (14,148 ft), and Mount Sherman (14,036 ft).

How the Mountains Formed

These mountains were created by faults and folds in the Earth's crust. This happened during an event called the Laramide orogeny about 65 million years ago. Imagine the Earth's crust being pushed and squeezed, causing parts to lift up.

Originally, the Mosquito Range was connected to the even higher Sawatch Range to the west. But about 35 million years ago, a deep valley formed where the Arkansas River now starts, separating the two ranges. The Mosquito Range is mostly made of granite, a very hard rock.

On the eastern side, near South Park, you can find layers of older Paleozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks. These rocks formed from sand, mud, and shells settling over millions of years. The northern part of the range was shaped by glaciers during the Pleistocene Ice Age. These huge ice sheets carved out U-shaped valleys in the canyons.

The high ridge of the Mosquito Range makes it quite difficult to cross between South Park and the Arkansas River area. You can see some of the tall peaks from Fremont Pass along State Highway 91. There are no major highways that cross the range. Only two backroads, Mosquito Pass and Weston Pass, go over its high points. A large part of the range is located within the Pike National Forest.

Tenmile and Mosquito Ranges: (left to right) Loveland Mountain (13,692 ft), Mount Democrat, Mount Bross and Quandary Peak: View from U.S. 285, about 8 mi south ofFairplay

Tallest Peaks

Weston Pass and the southern Mosquito Range, September 2009

Here are the eight highest peaks in the Mosquito Range:

See also

In Spanish: Cordillera del Mosquito para niños