Santa Rita Mountains
The Santa Rita Mountains (O'odham: To:wa Kuswo Doʼag), located about 40 miles (64 km) southeast of Tucson, Arizona, extend 26 miles (42 km) from north to south, then trending southeast. They merge again southeastwards into the Patagonia Mountains, trending northwest by southeast. The highest point in the range, and the highest point in the Tucson area, is Mount Wrightson, with an elevation of 9,453 feet (2,881 m), The range contains Madera Canyon, one of the world's premier birding areas. The Smithsonian Institution's Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory is located on Mount Hopkins. The range is one of the Madrean sky islands.
The Santa Rita Mountains are mostly within the Coronado National Forest. Prior to 1908 they were the principal component of Santa Rita National Forest, which was combined with other small forest tracts to form Coronado. Much of the range lies within the Mt. Wrightson Wilderness, managed by the Coronado National Forest. The Santa Rita Mountains were severely burned in July 2005 in the Florida Fire.
On the western side of the northern Santa Rita Mountains, a large cliff face of white marble is visible from the Green Valley and Sahuarita areas. This "white scar" reminded early Spanish missionaries of Saint Rita of Cascia (1381-1457), an Italian nun, who is often depicted with a small wound on her forehead. The mountain range was consequently named after her.[1]
Other mountain ranges surrounding the Tucson valley include the Santa Catalina Mountains, the Rincon Mountains, the Tucson Mountains, and the Tortolita Mountains.
Rosemont mine
A large porphyry copper deposit has been identified near the old Helvetia mining district on the north flank of the range. The proposed Rosemont Copper mine would be an open pit operation located in the Santa Ritas about two miles west of mile marker 44 on Arizona State Route 83.[2]
Jaguars
The Santa Rita Mountains were the temporary home range of "El Jefe," an adult male jaguar first identified in 2011. He has not been seen since 2015 and it is presumed that he returned to Mexico, where the nearest breeding population of jaguars is located.[3]
Gallery
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See also
- List of mountain ranges of Arizona
- Empire Ranch
- Madera Canyon (Arizona)
- Battle of Fort Buchanan
- Larcena Pennington Page
References
External links
- Mt. Wrightson Wilderness Coronado National Forest
- Friends of Madera Canyon
- Birding hot spots
- Whipple Observatory
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(Yavapai County)
- Boundary Cone
- Fortification Hill
- Mount Wilson
- Mount Union
- Castle Dome
- Carr Peak
- Miller Peak
- Aubrey Peak
- Hualapai Peak
- Lime Peak
- Mae West Peaks
- Four Peaks
- Mount Ord
- East End
- McDowell Peak
- Mount McDowell
- Thompson Peak
- Mount Ballard (Arizona)
- Camelback Mountain
- Mummy Mountain
- Piestewa Peak
- South Mountains
- Sunnyslope Mountain
- Ibex Peak
- Agassiz Peak
- Doyle Peak
- Fremont Peak
- Mount Bigelow
- Mount Lemmon
- Pusch Ridge
- Thimble Peak
- Mount Hopkins
- Mount Wrightson
- Mount Turnbull
- Mistake Peak
- Granite Mountain
- Black Dome
- Sentinel Peak
- Tumamoc Hill
- Apache Peak
- Black Mesa (Navajo County)
- Escudilla Mountain
- Mount Baldy
- Agathla Peak
- Agua Caliente Mountains
- Agua Dulce Mountains
- Antelope Hill
- Aquarius Mountains
- Artillery Mountains
- Atascosa Mountains
- Aubrey Hills
- Baboquivari Peak
- Balakai Mesa
- Beaver Dam Mountains
- Belmont Mountains
- Bill Williams Mountain
- Bitsihuitsos Butte
- Black Hills (Greenlee County)
- Black Mesa (Apache-Navajo Counties)
- Black Mesa (Warm Springs)
- Black Mountain (Maricopa County)
- Black Mountain (Pima County)
- Blackjack Mountains
- Bryan Mountains
- Buckskin Mountain (Arizona-Utah)
- Buckskin Mountains (La Paz County)
- Bush Head
- Cabeza Prieta Mountains
- Canelo Hills
- Carrizo Mountains
- Cerro Colorado Mountains
- Chocolate Mountains
- Copper Mountains
- Coyote Mountains
- Date Creek Mountains
- Dome Rock Mountains
- Dos Cabezas Mountains
- Etoi Ki
- Excalibur
- Galiuro Mountains
- Gavilan Peak
- Gila Bend Mountains
- Gila Mountains (Graham County)
- Gila Mountains (Yuma County)
- Goldfield Mountains
- Grand Wash Cliffs
- Granite Mountains
- Granite Wash Mountains
- Growler Mountains
- Gu Achi Peak
- Guadalupe Mountains
- Harcuvar Mountains
- Harquahala Mountains
- House Mountain
- Hunts Mesa
- Isis Temple
- John the Baptist Mountains
- Juniper Mesa
- Kaibab Plateau
- Kofa Mountains
- Laguna Mountains
- Las Guijas Mountains
- Lime Mountain (Maricopa County}
- Little Harquahala Mountains
- Little Rincon Mountains
- Lukachukai Mountains
- Madrean Sky Islands
- Mescal Mountains
- Mineral Mountains
- Moccasin Mountains
- Mohave Mountains
- Mohawk Mountains
- Mount Trumbull
- Muggins Mountains
- Mustang Mountains
- Navajo Mountain
- The Needles
- New River Mountains
- New Water Mountains
- Newton Butte
- Painted Rock Mountains
- Pajarito Mountains
- Patagonia Mountains
- Peacock Mountains
- Picacho Peak
- Picketpost Mountain
- Pinnacle Peak
- Poachie Range
- Poston Butte
- Rawhide Mountains
- Sacaton Mountains
- San Luis Mountains
- Santa Maria Mountains
- Sevenmile Mountains
- Sierra San Antonio
- Sierra Estrella
- Sierra Madre Occidental
- Sierra Pinta
- Silver Bell Mountains
- Squaw Tits
- Sugarloaf Mountain
- Sunset Mountains
- Swisshelm Mountains
- Tempe Butte
- Temple Butte
- Tinajas Altas Mountains
- Tordillo Mountain
- Tortolita Mountains
- Trigo Mountains
- Tule Mountains
- Tumacacori Mountains
- Virgin Mountains
- Vulcan's Throne
- Vulture Mountains
- Waterman Mountains
- Weaver Mountains
- West Silver Bell Mountains
- White Tank Mountains
- Wickenburg Mountains