The Rampart Range is a mountain range in the western United States in Colorado, located in Douglas, El Paso, and Teller counties. Part of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, the range is almost entirely public land within the Pike National Forest.[2]
| Rampart Range | |
|---|---|
 Rampart Range seen from Windy Point atop Spruce Mountain | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Devils Head |
| Elevation | 9,748 ft (2,971 m) |
| Listing | Mountain ranges of Colorado |
| Coordinates | 39°15′38″N 105°06′04″W / 39.2605112°N 105.10123986°W[1] |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 44 mi (71 km) |
| Width | 12 mi (19 km) |
| Geography | |
  Rampart Range | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Colorado |
| Counties | Douglas, El Paso and Teller[2] |
| Parent range | Front Range, Rocky Mountains |
The Rampart Range is delineated by the South Platte River on the north and Manitou Springs and Woodland Park on the south. The western border is formed by faults along the South Platte River and Trout Creek. The eastern border of the range is the steep, faulted escarpment down to the Colorado Piedmont. In total, the range is 44 miles (71 km) long and 12 miles (19 km) at its widest.[2][3][4][5]
The high point of the Rampart Range is Devils Head at an elevation of 9,748 feet (2,971 m). Several other peaks in the range are over 9,000 feet (2,743 m), but these elevations stand in contrast to the higher peaks of the Front Range to the north (Mount Blue Sky) and south (Pikes Peak).[6]
Geology
editThe Rampart Range is a anticlinal horst raised along faults on the east, west, and south sides. The region has experienced repeated periods of uplift, erosion, and deposition over the past 1,000 million years. Currently, uplifted Proterozoic basement rocks of the Pikes Pike batholith dominate the Rampart Range. Nearly all overlying sedimentary and volcanic rocks have been eroded away.[4][5][7]
References
edit- ^ "Devils Head". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Rampart Range". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ Smith, Charles L. (1977). Climate, Soils and Vegetation of the Rampart Range, Colorado (PDF). Colorado Springs, Colorado: United States Air Force Academy. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ a b Miller, Carter H. (1973). Gravity Survey in the Rampart Range Area, Colorado. Geological Survey Professional Paper 475-C. United States Geological Survey. pp. 110–113. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ a b Marcus, Steven R. (1973). Geology of the Montane Zone of Central Colorado: with emphasis on Manitou Park (PDF). USDA Forest Service Research Paper RM-113. Denver, Colorado: Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ Ormes, Robert M. (1992). Guide to the Colorado Mountains (9 ed.). Denver, Colorado: The Colorado Mountain Club. ISBN 0-917895-38X.
- ^ Tweto, Ogden (1979). "Geologic map of Colorado". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved March 12, 2024.