Silver Bell Mountains
| Silver Bell Mountains | |
|---|---|
 Ragged Top is a prominent landmark just north of the main range of the Silver Bell mountains | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Silver Bell Peak |
| Elevation | 4,261 ft (1,299 m) |
| Coordinates | 32°24′30″N 111°29′32″W / 32.4084°N 111.4923°W |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 6 mi (9.7 km) N-NW x SE |
| Width | 5 mi (8.0 km) |
| Geography | |
  Silver Bell Mountains Location in the state of Arizona. | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Arizona |
| Region(s) | Ironwood Forest National Monument (northeast)-Sonoran Desert (Avra Valley) |
| County | Pima County |
| Settlement | Silver Bell, AZ |
| Borders on | West Silver Bell Mountains-NW Waterman Mountains-S Aguirre Valley-W & SW Avra Valley-E & I-10-NE |
The Silver Bell Mountains are a northwest–southeast trending mountain range in north–central Pima County, Arizona.[1] The range lies 14 miles (23 km) west of Marana, Arizona, located on Interstate-10, northwest of Tucson.
The range is located to the east of the Ironwood Forest National Monument. Ragged Top, located in the north of the range, is a well-known landmark in this former mining region.
Description
[edit]The range is named after the Silver Bell Mine located at the southern end of the mountains. The range abuts the Waterman Mountains to the southeast, where palynology-(pollen) studies have shown some of the recent floristic history of Arizona during the Pliocene. Both ranges lie in the northeast Sonoran Desert; the Madrean Sky Island ranges begin just southeast of here, with the large, and most western sky island range, the Baboquivari Mountains-Quinlans 20–35 mi south.
The Silver Bell range can be accessed by Avra Valley Road and Silver Bell Road from the south of Marana.
Climate
[edit]Climate is characterized by extremely variable temperature conditions. The Köppen Climate Classification sub-type for this climate is "Bsh" (Mid-Latitude Steppe and Desert Climate).[2]
| Climate data for Silver Bell Mountains | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 63 (17) |
66 (19) |
71 (22) |
79 (26) |
88 (31) |
98 (37) |
98 (37) |
96 (36) |
93 (34) |
84 (29) |
72 (22) |
62 (17) |
81 (27) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 43 (6) |
46 (8) |
49 (9) |
55 (13) |
63 (17) |
72 (22) |
74 (23) |
72 (22) |
70 (21) |
61 (16) |
51 (11) |
43 (6) |
58 (14) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.9 (23) |
0.9 (23) |
0.8 (20) |
0.2 (5.1) |
0.2 (5.1) |
0.3 (7.6) |
2.5 (64) |
2.5 (64) |
1.3 (33) |
1 (25) |
0.8 (20) |
1.3 (33) |
12.8 (330) |
| Source: Weatherbase [3] | |||||||||||||
See also
[edit]- Ironwood Forest National Monument
- List of mountain ranges of Pima County, Arizona
- List of mountain ranges of Arizona
References
[edit]- ^ Silver Bell East, AZ and Silver Bell West, AZ, 7.5 Minute Topographic Quadrangles, USGS, 1989
- ^ Climate Summary for Silver Bell
- ^ "Weatherbase.com". Weatherbase. 2013. Retrieved on July 30, 2013.
External links
[edit]
Silver Bell Peak
Ragged Top Peak