Temple Mountain (Utah) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Temple Mountain
South aspect
Highest point
Elevation	6,820 ft (2,080 m)
Prominence	840 ft (260 m)
Isolation	8.6 mi (13.8 km)
Parent peak	Block Mountain (7,425 ft)
Geography
Temple Mountain Location in Utah Show map of Utah Temple Mountain Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	Emery County, Utah, U.S.
Parent range	San Rafael Swell Colorado Plateau
Topo map	USGS Temple Mountain
Geology
Age of rock	Triassic to Jurassic
Type of rock	sedimentary
Climbing
Easiest route	class 5.4 South-southeast Face

Temple Mountain is a tall mountain in Emery County, Utah, USA. It stands 6,820 feet (2,080 meters) high. People named it "Temple Mountain" because its shape looks a bit like the Salt Lake Temple in Salt Lake City.

This mountain is a very noticeable landmark. It rises 1,200 feet above the land around it. You can see it from far away! It's about 45 miles southwest of the town of Green River. The water that runs off Temple Mountain flows into Temple Wash, which eventually reaches the Green River. The Bureau of Land Management takes care of this area.

What Temple Mountain Is Made Of (Geology)

Temple Mountain is mostly made of a type of rock called Wingate Sandstone. This rock is almost white and was formed from ancient sand dunes about 200 million years ago. Imagine huge deserts with wind blowing sand around!

On top of the Wingate Sandstone is another rock layer called the Kayenta Formation. These layers together form a large rock wall known as the San Rafael Reef. Below these big cliffs, you can see lighter-colored slopes. These are part of the Chinle Formation, which has different sections.

Interestingly, valuable minerals like uranium are found in one of these sections, called the Moss Back Member. The very oldest rock you can see at the bottom of the mountain is the Moenkopi Formation.

A Look Back in Time (History)

People started looking for minerals at Temple Mountain way back in 1898. But serious mining didn't begin until 1914. Miners were looking for special elements like radium, vanadium, and uranium. Mining happened on and off until the 1920s.

Temple Mountain became a very important place for uranium mining in the late 1940s and early 1950s. This was during a time when uranium was in high demand.

Did you know that some of the ore from Temple Mountain was sent to France for famous scientist Marie Curie? She was a pioneer in studying radioactivity and even won a Nobel Prize! She used uranium ore to find radium. There are stories that she might have even visited Temple Mountain herself to see where such good quality ore came from.

Between 1948 and 1956, a lot of uranium and vanadium was mined here. Because of all the mining, a temporary town called Temple City even popped up for a while!

Weather at Temple Mountain (Climate)

Temple Mountain has a "cold semi-arid climate." This means it's a desert climate, but it can get quite cold in the winter. The average temperature in the coldest month is below 32°F (0°C).

The area doesn't get much rain, usually less than 10 inches (254 mm) each year. Snowfall in winter is usually light. The best times to visit Temple Mountain are in the spring and fall, when the weather is mild and pleasant.

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