Santa Catalina Mountains
| Santa Catalina Mountains | |
|---|---|
Santa Catalina Mountains seen from the east side of the city of Tucson, Arizona
|
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| Highest point | |
| Peak | Mount Lemmon |
| Elevation | 9,157 ft (2,791 m) |
| Coordinates | 32°26′35″N 110°47′17″W / 32.443°N 110.788°WCoordinates: 32°26′35″N 110°47′17″W / 32.443°N 110.788°W |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 18 mi (29 km) E-W |
| Width | 14 mi (23 km) |
| Geography | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Arizona |
| Region |
American Southwest, (northeast)-Sonoran Desert |
| Counties | Pima and Pinal |
| Communities | |
| Geology | |
| Age of rock | Laramide Igneous Rock and Precambrian |
| Type of rock | Intrusive igneous rock (granite) |
The Santa Catalina Mountains, commonly referred to as the Catalina Mountains or the Catalinas, are north and northeast of Tucson in Arizona, United States, on Tucson's north perimeter. The mountain range is the most prominent in the Tucson area, with the highest average elevation. The highest point in the Catalinas is Mount Lemmon at an elevation of 9,157 feet (2,791 m) above sea level and receives 180 inches (460 cm) of snow annually.
Originally known by the Tohono O'odham Nation as Babad Do'ag, the Catalinas were later named in 1697 by Italian Jesuit priest Eusebio Francisco Kino in honor of St. Catherine who was the patron saint of Kino's oldest sister.
The Catalinas are part of the Santa Catalina Ranger District located in the Coronado National Forest, and also include the Pusch Ridge Wilderness Area. The mountain range is considered a prominent range in the Madrean sky islands, and partially delimits the mountain ranges in the northwest of the sky island region; lower elevation bajadas associated with the Santa Cruz River Valley spread northwestwards towards Phoenix.
Catalina Sky Survey (CSS), on Mt. Lemmon, is a project to discover comets and asteroids, and to search for near-Earth objects (NEOs). More specifically, CSS is to search for any potentially hazardous asteroids that may pose a threat of impact. Its southern hemisphere counterpart, the Siding Spring Survey (SSS) was closed in 2013.
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Wikipedia