LeChee Rock

LeChee Rock is a 5,900-foot-elevation (1,800 m) sandstone feature located south of Lake Powell, in Coconino County of northern Arizona.[2] It is situated nine miles (14 km) east-southeast of the town of Page, eight miles (13 km) east of the community of LeChee, and 7.5 miles (12.1 km) south of Tower Butte, on Navajo Nation land, where it towers over 900 feet (270 m) above the surrounding terrain as a landmark of the area. It can be seen from nearby Arizona State Route 98, or from as far away as Alstrom Point. LeChee (Łichíí) in Navajo language means red, referring to burgundy-colored leaves of a medicinal plant.[3] The spelling for this geographical feature's name was officially adopted in 2004 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, prior to that it was officially Leche-e Rock.[2]

LeChee Rock
Leche Benchmark[1]
Southwest aspect
Highest point
Elevation5,900 ft (1,800 m) [1]
Prominence730 ft (220 m) [1]
Parent peakPoint 5940[1]
Isolation11.39 mi (18.33 km) [1]
Coordinates36°51′49″N 111°18′35″W [2]
Geography
LeChee Rock
Location in Arizona
LeChee Rock
LeChee Rock (the United States)
LocationNavajo Reservation
Coconino County, Arizona, U.S.
Parent rangeColorado Plateau
Topo mapUSGS LeChee Rock
Geology
Age of rockJurassic
Type of rockSandstone

Geology

LeChee Rock is located in the southern edge of the Great Basin Desert on the Colorado Plateau. It is composed of Romana Sandstone overlaying the Escalante Member of Entrada Sandstone, capped by the Salt Wash Member of the Morrison Formation. Beneath the sandstone, along the base of this feature, is reddish Carmel Formation which gives this feature its name.[4] [5] All the strata are Jurassic in age. Precipitation runoff from this feature drains to Navajo and Antelope Canyons, then Lake Powell, all part of the Colorado River drainage basin.

  • West aspect
  • Northwest aspect
  • South aspect from Highway 98
  • Northwest aspect from Highway 98

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, LeChee Rock is located in an arid climate zone with hot, very dry summers, and chilly winters with very little snow. Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to visit.

Climate data for Page, Arizona
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 64
(18)		 72
(22)		 82
(28)		 91
(33)		 102
(39)		 107
(42)		 109
(43)		 106
(41)		 100
(38)		 93
(34)		 77
(25)		 66
(19)		 109
(43)
Average high °F (°C) 43.1
(6.2)		 50.3
(10.2)		 59.5
(15.3)		 68.5
(20.3)		 78.5
(25.8)		 90.2
(32.3)		 95.1
(35.1)		 92.0
(33.3)		 83.5
(28.6)		 69.7
(20.9)		 53.8
(12.1)		 43.7
(6.5)		 69.0
(20.6)
Average low °F (°C) 26.3
(−3.2)		 30.4
(−0.9)		 37.0
(2.8)		 43.6
(6.4)		 52.6
(11.4)		 62.3
(16.8)		 68.3
(20.2)		 66.4
(19.1)		 58.4
(14.7)		 46.6
(8.1)		 34.7
(1.5)		 27.1
(−2.7)		 46.1
(7.8)
Record low °F (°C) −11
(−24)		 6
(−14)		 18
(−8)		 25
(−4)		 31
(−1)		 44
(7)		 56
(13)		 46
(8)		 40
(4)		 24
(−4)		 16
(−9)		 1
(−17)		 −11
(−24)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 0.61
(15)		 0.48
(12)		 0.65
(17)		 0.50
(13)		 0.40
(10)		 0.14
(3.6)		 0.58
(15)		 0.69
(18)		 0.66
(17)		 0.99
(25)		 0.56
(14)		 0.48
(12)		 6.74
(171.6)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 2.1
(5.3)		 1.2
(3.0)		 0.2
(0.51)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0.5
(1.3)		 1.4
(3.6)		 5.4
(13.71)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 4.5 4.0 5.2 3.5 3.2 1.7 4.6 5.2 4.5 4.3 3.2 3.9 47.8
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) 0.9 0.6 0.3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.2 0.6 2.6
Source: NOAA[6]

See also

References
  1. "Leche-e Rock - 5,900' AZ". Lists of Peaks. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  2. "LeChee Rock". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  3. Yurth, Cindy (July 11, 2013). "On the Rim of Opportunity". Navajo Times.
  4. Baars, Donald L. (2002). A Traveler's Guide to the Geology of the Colorado Plateau. University of Utah Press. p. 211.
  5. "Vocabulary in Native American Languages: Navajo Words". Native Languages of the Americas.
  6. "Climatography of the United States No. 20 (1971–2000)" (PDF). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2004. Retrieved May 31, 2010.
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