place

Frenchman Mountain

Mountains of Clark County, NevadaMountains of NevadaTourist attractions in the Las Vegas ValleyUse mdy dates from January 2022
Frenchman Mountain 1
Frenchman Mountain 1

Frenchman Mountain is a mountain located east of Las Vegas, Nevada. Made up of rocks similar to those found on the bottom of the Grand Canyon, Frenchman Mountain formed when faulting elevated and tilted the rocks followed by erosion, giving it its sharp triangular profile. The mountain provides an example of the Great Unconformity with the tilted Paleozoic Tapeats Sandstone underlain by Paleoproterozoic Vishnu Schist, which is some of the oldest rock on the North American continent, having been created about two billion years ago. The peak lies on a north to north-northeast trending ridge about 2000 feet above the nearby valleys. Sunrise Mountain lies 3.6 miles (5.8 km) to the northeast adjacent to Nellis Air Force Base. The north end of the McCullough Range about 12 miles (19 km) to the south has a parallel trend. The River Mountains lie to the southeast. State Route 147 crosses its northern slope. A geologically rich area called Rainbow Gardens is located to its southeast, as is an igneous laccolith, Lava Butte. The Frenchman Mountain Fault poses a significant earthquake danger to the Clark County region.It is likely named after the Frenchman Mine, which itself was alleged to be the site of a stock scam by a Belgian immigrant (mistakenly assumed to be French). It is commonly referred to as Sunrise Mountain, the name of a smaller peak to the north of Frenchman Mountain, because the sun rises over it in some areas of Las Vegas. The area from Cheyenne Avenue and Boulder Highway and Lamb Boulevard is commonly known as Sunrise Manor Township CDP. Local conservationists have proposed the area, along with Gypsum Cave and Sunrise Mountain, be protected as a national monument.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Frenchman Mountain (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 36.179181253 ° E -114.997611072 °
placeShow on map

Address

Sunrise Manor



Nevada, United States
mapOpen on Google Maps

Frenchman Mountain 1
Frenchman Mountain 1
Share experience

Nearby Places

Clark County Wetlands Park
Clark County Wetlands Park

The Clark County Wetlands Park is the largest park in the Clark County, Nevada park system. The park is on the east side of the Las Vegas valley and runs from the various water treatment plants near the natural beginning of the Las Vegas Wash to where the wash flows under Lake Las Vegas and later into Lake Mead. One purpose of the park is to reduce the environmental impact of the waste water and stormwater runoff leaving the drainage basin area, by building a constructed wetland. This is being accomplished by installing a series of water flow control structures such as dams and weirs and by creating ponds that together slow down the flow of the water, catching silt, and reducing the undercutting of the dirt walls that form the wash. As of June, 2005 nine of these structures were operational. The sides of the wash are being stabilized by installing native plants and large pieces of demolished construction debris. Some of the native plants, especially those in areas of standing water, also help purify the water by removing various pollutants as the slow moving water provides these plants with nourishment. This method of purification is also called natural water polishing. The second purpose of the park is education. The displays within the park show visitors how the wash looked before major settlement occurred in the valley and the impact people have had on the environment. The park has a nature center with displays about the park's plants and animals. There are miles of walking paths.