The Tooth of Time is a geological feature on the

Philmont Scout Ranch Philmont Scout Ranch is a ranch located in Colfax County, New Mexico, near the village of Cimarron; it covers of wilderness in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains on the east side of the Cimarron Range of the Rocky Mountains. Donated by oil baro ...

located southwest of Cimarron, New Mexico, United States, and is one of Philmont's most popular sights. It is an

igneous Igneous rock (derived from the Latin word ''ignis'' meaning fire), or magmatic rock, is one of the three main rock types, the others being sedimentary and metamorphic. Igneous rock is formed through the cooling and solidification of magma or ...

intrusion of

dacite Dacite () is a volcanic rock formed by rapid solidification of lava that is high in silica and low in alkali metal oxides. It has a fine-grained (aphanitic) to porphyritic texture and is intermediate in composition between andesite and rhyolite. ...

porphyry formed in the Paleogene Period of the

Cenozoic The Cenozoic ( ; ) is Earth's current geological era, representing the last 66million years of Earth's history. It is characterised by the dominance of mammals, birds and flowering plants, a cooling and drying climate, and the current configura ...

Era some 22-40 million years ago.

Santa Fe Trail

The Tooth rises prominently from the valley floor, some below, creating a sheer vertical face unable to support substantial plant life. Both its pinkish-gray color and its unusual shape make it a particularly notable geological landmark. It was well known among the overland traders on the Santa Fe Trail, who used it to mark the final seven-day push to Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Geology

The Tooth was formed when

magma Magma () is the molten or semi-molten natural material from which all igneous rocks are formed. Magma is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and evidence of magmatism has also been discovered on other terrestrial planets and some natural sa ...

from deep within the Earth rose through older rock layers and slowly cooled. Over many thousands of years, the older

sedimentary rock Sedimentary rocks are types of rock that are formed by the accumulation or deposition of mineral or organic particles at Earth's surface, followed by cementation. Sedimentation is the collective name for processes that cause these particles ...

eroded and left the harder igneous formation. The sedimentary rock acted as a mold for the intrusive magma, causing it to harden and cool where the sedimentary rock was strongest. The Tooth sits atop a prominent ridge created through the process mentioned above. In the fourth episode of the TV mini-series western

Lonesome Dove ''Lonesome Dove'' is a 1985 Western novel by American writer Larry McMurtry. It is the first published book of the ''Lonesome Dove'' series, but the third installment in the series chronologically. The story revolves around the relationships b ...

, the Tooth is readily visible as Pea Eye Parker, one of the protagonists, walks across the plain towards the cattle herd.

Climbing

The Tooth of Time is located on the east end of Tooth of Time Ridge, while Shaefer's Peak is located on the west end of the ridge. A trail extends about 3.5 miles from Shaefer's Pass to the Tooth Ridge campsite, located at the base of the Tooth of Time, with a short scramble ascending the Tooth. Another trail, known as the Stockade Trail, extends along the steeper back side and terminates at an animal stockade along a road.Tooth of Time : Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering : SummitPost
/ref> The first roped ascent of the main face was completed in July, 1972 by Lee Davis, Rick Barrett and Randy Wright.Climbing Magazine, Sept/Oct 1972

References

External links

Satellite image of Tooth Ridge

Official website of Philmont Scout Ranch
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tooth Of Time Landforms of Colfax County, New Mexico Cimarron, New Mexico Rock formations of New Mexico Santa Fe Trail

Santa Fe Trail

Geology

Climbing

See also

References

External links