Harkers Canyon (Salt Lake County, Utah)
Encyclopedia
Harkers Canyon is located 20 km (12.4 mi) west-southwest of downtown Salt Lake City
, in Salt Lake County
, Utah
, USA
. The canyon
empties into the Salt Lake Valley
from its origin in the Oquirrh Mountains
. The canyon is oriented primarily from southwest to northeast, with the middle third of the canyon descending from west to east. Harkers Canyon and surrounding land are owned and managed by the Kennecott Utah Copper Corporation and has been mined
for copper
.
to the south, Harkers Canyon has been the site of copper mining by the Kennecott Utah Copper Corporation. Public access to the canyon may be improved by the creation of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail
, a portion of which is planned to cross Harkers Canyon.
divide between the Salt Lake Valley and Rush Valley. Near the top of the canyon is a natural spring, Crystal Spring, at 2365 m (7760 ft) elevation. The transmission tower
for broadcast
radio station
KDYL 1060 AM
is located near the top of the canyon, on a ridge between Harkers Canyon and Barneys Canyon, at 2580 m (8465 ft) elevation.
The canyon empties out of the Oquirrh Mountains at 1490 m (4890 ft), near the unincorporated community of Bacchus and State Route 111, on the far western edge of the greater Salt Lake City metropolitan area. Harkers Canyon is located in the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
Wildlife Management Unit 18.
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
, in Salt Lake County
Salt Lake County, Utah
Salt Lake County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. It had a population of 1,029,655 at the 2010 census. Its county seat and largest city is Salt Lake City, the state capital. It occupies Salt Lake Valley, as well as parts of the surrounding mountains, the Oquirrh Mountains to the west...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The canyon
Canyon
A canyon or gorge is a deep ravine between cliffs often carved from the landscape by a river. Rivers have a natural tendency to reach a baseline elevation, which is the same elevation as the body of water it will eventually drain into. This forms a canyon. Most canyons were formed by a process of...
empties into the Salt Lake Valley
Salt Lake Valley
Salt Lake Valley is a valley in Salt Lake County in the north-central portion of the U.S. state of Utah. It contains Salt Lake City and many of its suburbs, notably West Valley City, Murray, Sandy, and West Jordan; its total population is 1,029,655 as of 2010...
from its origin in the Oquirrh Mountains
Oquirrh Mountains
The Oquirrh Mountains is a mountain range that run north-south for approximately 30 miles to form the west side of Utah's Salt Lake Valley, separating it from Tooele Valley. The range begins in northwest Utah County and stops at the south shore of the Great Salt Lake. The highest elevation is...
. The canyon is oriented primarily from southwest to northeast, with the middle third of the canyon descending from west to east. Harkers Canyon and surrounding land are owned and managed by the Kennecott Utah Copper Corporation and has been mined
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
for copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
.
History
Although most extraction occurred in Bingham CanyonBingham Canyon Mine
The Bingham Canyon Mine, also known as the Kennecott Copper Mine, is an open-pit mining operation extracting a large porphyry copper deposit southwest of Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, in the Oquirrh Mountains. It is the deepest open-pit mine in the world. The mine is owned by Rio Tinto Group, an...
to the south, Harkers Canyon has been the site of copper mining by the Kennecott Utah Copper Corporation. Public access to the canyon may be improved by the creation of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail
Bonneville Shoreline Trail
The Bonneville Shoreline Trail is a mixed use recreation trail in Utah that will follow the shoreline of the ancient Lake Bonneville where today the Wasatch Front plays host to a growing region of outdoor enthusiasts. Some sections of the trail are complete and some are under developed...
, a portion of which is planned to cross Harkers Canyon.
Geography
Harkers Canyon is about 12 km (7.5 mi) long. The upper end of the canyon is at 2550 m (8360 ft) elevation, at the boundary between Salt Lake County and Tooele County, which generally follows the watershedWater divide
A drainage divide, water divide, divide or watershed is the line separating neighbouring drainage basins...
divide between the Salt Lake Valley and Rush Valley. Near the top of the canyon is a natural spring, Crystal Spring, at 2365 m (7760 ft) elevation. The transmission tower
Radio masts and towers
Radio masts and towers are, typically, tall structures designed to support antennas for telecommunications and broadcasting, including television. They are among the tallest man-made structures...
for broadcast
Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
KDYL 1060 AM
Amplitude modulation
Amplitude modulation is a technique used in electronic communication, most commonly for transmitting information via a radio carrier wave. AM works by varying the strength of the transmitted signal in relation to the information being sent...
is located near the top of the canyon, on a ridge between Harkers Canyon and Barneys Canyon, at 2580 m (8465 ft) elevation.
The canyon empties out of the Oquirrh Mountains at 1490 m (4890 ft), near the unincorporated community of Bacchus and State Route 111, on the far western edge of the greater Salt Lake City metropolitan area. Harkers Canyon is located in the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is part of the Utah Department of Natural Resources for the state of Utah in the United States. The mission of the Division of Wildlife Resources is to serve the people of Utah as trustee and guardian of the state's wildlife, and to ensure its future and...
Wildlife Management Unit 18.