Rainbow Mountain (Alabama)
| Rainbow Mountain | |
|---|---|
  Rainbow Mountain Madison county, Alabama, US | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 1,142 ft (348 m)[1] |
| Coordinates | 34°44′5.05″N 86°43′44.82″W / 34.7347361°N 86.7291167°W[1] |
| Geography | |
| Location | Madison county, Alabama, US |
| Topo map | USGS Grant |
Rainbow Mountain is a mountain in Madison county, Alabama. The mountain's name is derived from the name of Elisha Rainbolt, who settled on the mountain around 1810.[2]
Geology
[edit]
Like overwhelming majority of geological features in the Highland region, Rainbow Mountain is characterized by sedimentary rocks (mostly limestone) from middle to late Paleozoic filled with fossils of corals and bryozoans. This is unsurprising, as almost all of contemporary Alabama's landmass was submerged under the Tethys Seaway and served as the ground for splendid coral reef ecosystems. All the strata of Rainbow Mountain are from Mississippian. The stratigraphy of Rainbow Mountain is such, from older to younger ( also lower to higher in altitude):
1.Below the main elevated mass of the mountain is Fort Payne Chert.
2.Tuscumbia Limestone.
4.On the very top sits Hartselle Sandstone.[3]
Fossils found there are Archimedes, rugose corals, and crinoids. Local minerals, excluding ones composing aformentioned rocks, are dolomite, calcite, fluorite, and sphalerite. Some rocks have ripple marks on them. The landscape is karstic, riddled with sinkholes and small grottos.[4]
Archeology
[edit]Paleoindian arrowheads were reportedly found on the Rainbow Mountain. It would make sense that local people found shelter in the limestone crevices.[5]
Rainbow Mountain Nature Preserve
[edit]A 65-acre nature preserve owned by the City of Madison is located on the mountain. The preserve has over three miles of hiking trails, which are managed by the Land Trust of North Alabama.[6][7]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Raibow Mountain". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
- ^ Doyle, Steve (18 April 2012). "ASK US: Why haven't natural gas rates fallen in Huntsville?". AL.com. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
- ^ https://www.gsa.state.al.us/img/Geological/Quads/QS29/QS029_Plate2.pdf
- ^ https://woodlandsandwaters.wordpress.com/2015/11/18/high-and-dry-guided-hike-on-rainbow-mountain/
- ^ https://woodlandsandwaters.wordpress.com/2015/11/18/high-and-dry-guided-hike-on-rainbow-mountain/
- ^ "Rainbow Mountain Nature Preserve". Land Trust of North Alabama. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
- ^ Wills, Kenneth M.; Davenport, L.J. (2016). Exploring Wild Alabama: A Guide to the State's Publicly Accessible Natural Areas. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: The University of Alabama Press. pp. 30–31. ISBN 9780817358303.