Setting Hen
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Setting Hen is a summit in San Juan County, Utah, United States. Setting Hen should not be confused with another butte named Setting Hen Butte within the same county but further northeast at Valley of the Gods.
Setting Hen is a summit in San Juan County, Utah, United States. Setting Hen should not be confused with another butte named Setting Hen Butte within the same county but further northeast at Valley of the Gods.
Description
Setting Hen is situated northeast of Oljato–Monument Valley, Utah, on Navajo Nation land. It is an iconic landform of Monument Valley and can be seen from Highway 163. Precipitation runoff from this butte's slopes drains into the San Juan River drainage basin. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises above surrounding terrain in 0.25 mile (0.4 km). The nearest higher neighbor is Eagle Mesa, to the southwest. This landform's toponym has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names, and the descriptive name refers to the profile resembling a sitting hen when viewed from the southeast.
Geology
Setting Hen is a butte composed of two principal strata. The bottom layer is Organ Rock Shale and the upper stratum is cliff-forming De Chelly Sandstone. The rock was deposited during the Permian period. The buttes and mesas of Monument Valley are the result of the Organ Rock Shale being more easily eroded than the overlaying sandstone.
Climate
Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to visit Setting Hen. According to the Köppen climate classification system, it is located in a semi-arid climate zone with cold winters and hot summers. Summers average 54 days above annually, and highs rarely exceed . Summer nights are comfortably cool, and temperatures drop quickly after sunset. Winters are cold, but daytime highs are usually above freezing. Winter temperatures below are uncommon, though possible. This desert climate receives less than of annual rainfall, and snowfall is generally light during the winter.
Gallery
See also
List of mountains of Utah List of appearances of Monument Valley in the media
References
External links
Weather forecast: Setting Hen
Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1369707968 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.