Thor Temple

Thor Temple is a 6,741-foot (2,055 m)-elevation summit located in the Grand Canyon, in Coconino County of northern Arizona, United States.^[2] It is situated 2.5 miles (4.0 km) west-northwest of Cape Royal on the canyon's North Rim, 3.5 miles (5.6 km) east of Brahma Temple, and 2 miles (3.2 km) north-northwest of Wotans Throne. It rises 4,300 feet (1,300 m) above the Colorado River in 5 miles (8.0 km). According to the Köppen climate classification system, Thor Temple is located in a cold semi-arid climate zone.^[4]

Thor Temple
North aspect, from North Rim
Highest point
Elevation	6,741 ft (2,055 m)[1]
Prominence	769 ft (234 m)[1]
Parent peak	Wotans Throne (7,740 ft)[1]
Isolation	2.12 mi (3.41 km)[1]
Coordinates	36°07′50″N 111°58′51″W[2]
Geography
Thor Temple Location in Arizona Show map of Arizona Thor Temple Thor Temple (the United States) Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Arizona
County	Coconino
Protected area	Grand Canyon National Park
Parent range	Kaibab Plateau Colorado Plateau
Topo map	USGS Walhalla Plateau
Geology
Rock type(s)	limestone, shale, sandstone
Climbing
First ascent	Alan Doty, May 1977[3]
Easiest route	class 4 climbing[1]

Thor Temple is named for Thor, the hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, and storms in Germanic mythology, and son of Wotan.^[5] This name was applied by geologist François E. Matthes, in keeping with Clarence Dutton's practice of naming geographical features in the Grand Canyon after mythological deities.^[6][7] A variant name for this landform is "Thors Hammer."^[2] This geographical feature's name was officially adopted in 1906 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.^[2]

Geology

Thor Temple is composed of strata of the Pennsylvanian-Permian Supai Group. Further down are strata of Mississippian Redwall Limestone, Cambrian Tonto Group, and finally Proterozoic Unkar Group at creek level.^[8] Precipitation runoff from Thor Temple drains southwest to the Colorado River via Clear Creek.

Thor Temple bottom, Wotans Throne upper left, Angels Gate right.
Looking south from Francois Matthes Point, 1951.

See also

• Geology of the Grand Canyon area

References

1. "Thor Temple – 6,741' AZ". Lists of John. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
2. "Thor Temple". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
3. Harvey Butchart, Grand Canyon Treks 12,000 Miles Through the Grand Canyon, 1998, Spotted Dog Press, ISBN 978-0964753020, p. 140.
4. Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11. ISSN 1027-5606.
5. N.H. Darton, Story of the Grand Canyon of Arizona, 1917, page 81.
6. Stephen J. Pyne, Voyager: Seeking Newer Worlds in the Third Great Age of Discovery, 2010, Penguin Group.
7. Randy Moore and Kara Felicia Witt, The Grand Canyon: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture, 2018, ABC-CLIO Publisher, p. 151.
8. N.H. Darton, Story of the Grand Canyon of Arizona, 1917.

External links

• Weather forecast: National Weather Service
• Thor Temple from Francois Matthes Point. 1969 photo