Chinati Mountains
Encyclopedia
The Chinati Mountains of Texas
are a small range in the high desert of far West Texas
near the city of Presidio
. There is a pass through the mountains on Ranch to Market Road 2810
, also known as Pinto Canyon Road, which connects to Farm to Market Road 170
at Ruidosa, Texas. The range derives its name from the Apache word ch'íná'itíh, which means gate or mountain pass.
The mountains are primarily composed of igneous and metamorphic rocks, and are believed to be the remains of a number of explosive volcanic caldera
-building events in the remote past.
The mountains are generally not forested, but rather vegetated with grasses, cactus, and brush typical of the Chihuahuan Desert
.
The mountains were extensively mined for silver in the 1860s through 1910s.
The highest point is Chinati Peak at 7728 feet (2,355 m).
Portions of the mountains are contained within a Texas State Park which is not open to the public.
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
are a small range in the high desert of far West Texas
West Texas
West Texas is a vernacular term applied to a region in the southwestern quadrant of the United States that primarily encompasses the arid and semi-arid lands in the western portion of the state of Texas....
near the city of Presidio
Presidio, Texas
Presidio is a city in Presidio County, Texas, United States. It stands on the Rio Grande , on the opposite side of the U.S.-Mexico border from Ojinaga, Chihuahua. The population was 4,167 at the 2000 census....
. There is a pass through the mountains on Ranch to Market Road 2810
Ranch to Market Road 2810
Ranch to Market Road 2810 or RM 2810 is the paved, state-maintained portion of the Pinto Canyon Road between Ruidosa and Marfa in Presidio County...
, also known as Pinto Canyon Road, which connects to Farm to Market Road 170
Farm to Market Road 170
Farm to Market Road 170, Farm Road 170, or FM 170 is a highway maintained by the Texas Department of Transportation in Presidio and Brewster counties in Texas. The route, known locally as the River Road, runs along the United States side of the Rio Grande which in Texas forms the international...
at Ruidosa, Texas. The range derives its name from the Apache word ch'íná'itíh, which means gate or mountain pass.
The mountains are primarily composed of igneous and metamorphic rocks, and are believed to be the remains of a number of explosive volcanic caldera
Caldera
A caldera is a cauldron-like volcanic feature usually formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption, such as the one at Yellowstone National Park in the US. They are sometimes confused with volcanic craters...
-building events in the remote past.
The mountains are generally not forested, but rather vegetated with grasses, cactus, and brush typical of the Chihuahuan Desert
Chihuahuan Desert
The Chihuahuan Desert is a desert, and an ecoregion designation, that straddles the U.S.-Mexico border in the central and northern portions of the Mexican Plateau, bordered on the west by the extensive Sierra Madre Occidental range, and overlaying northern portions of the east range, the Sierra...
.
The mountains were extensively mined for silver in the 1860s through 1910s.
The highest point is Chinati Peak at 7728 feet (2,355 m).
Portions of the mountains are contained within a Texas State Park which is not open to the public.
External links
- USGS Summary: Chinati Mountains caldera volcanic rocks, including Chinati Mountains Group, Mitchell Mesa Ignimbrite, and type area of Petan Basalt
- AGE AND CHARACTERIZATION OF THE RED HILLS PORPHYRY COPPER-MOLYBDENUM DEPOSIT AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO THE CHINATI MOUNTAINS CALDERA, PRESIDIO COUNTY, TEXAS