The
Laramie Mountains are a
rangeA mountain range is a chain of mountains bordered by highlands or separated from other mountains by passes or valleys. Individual mountains within the same mountain range do not necessarily have the same geology, though they often do; they may be a mix of different orogeny, for example volcanoes,...
of moderately high peaks on the eastern edge of the
Rocky MountainsThe Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in Canada, to New Mexico, in the United States. The range's highest peak is Mount Elbert in Colorado at above sea level...
in the states of
WyomingWyoming is a state in the Western United States. The majority of the state is dominated by the mountain ranges and rangelands of the Rocky Mountain West, while the easternmost section of the state includes part of a high elevation prairie region known as the High Plains. While the tenth largest...
and
ColoradoColorado is a U.S. state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America. It may also be considered to be part of the Western and Southwestern regions of the United States. Colorado entered statehood in 1876 and was nicknamed the “Centennial State”...
in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The range is the northernmost extension of the line of the ranges along the eastern side of the Rockies, and in particular of the higher peaks of the
Front RangeThe Front Range is a mountain range of the Rocky Mountains of North America that is located in the north-central portion of the U.S. State of Colorado...
directly to the south. North of the range, the gap between the Laramie range and the Bighorn Mountains provided the route for historical trails, such as the
Oregon TrailThe Oregon Trail was one of the main overland migration routes on the North American continent, leading from locations on the Missouri River to the Oregon Territory. The eastern half of the trail was also used by travelers on the California Trail, Bozeman Trail, and Mormon Trail which used much of...
, the
Mormon TrailThe Mormon Trail or Mormon Pioneer Trail is the route that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints traveled from 1846 to 1868...
, and the
Pony ExpressThe Pony Express was a fast mail service crossing the North American continent from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, from April 1860 to October 1861...
.
The mountains extend northward from southeastern Wyoming between
CheyenneCheyenne is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Laramie County. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne, Wyoming Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Laramie County. The population was 53,011 at the 2000 census...
and
LaramieLaramie is a city in and the county seat of Albany County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 27,204 at the 2000 census. Located on the Laramie River in southeastern Wyoming, the city is west of Cheyenne, at the junction of Interstate 80 and U.S...
, to
CasperCasper is the only city in and the county seat of Natrona County, Wyoming, United States. With a population of 49,644, Casper is the second largest city in Wyoming, according to the 2000 census...
.
The
Laramie Mountains are a
rangeA mountain range is a chain of mountains bordered by highlands or separated from other mountains by passes or valleys. Individual mountains within the same mountain range do not necessarily have the same geology, though they often do; they may be a mix of different orogeny, for example volcanoes,...
of moderately high peaks on the eastern edge of the
Rocky MountainsThe Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in Canada, to New Mexico, in the United States. The range's highest peak is Mount Elbert in Colorado at above sea level...
in the states of
WyomingWyoming is a state in the Western United States. The majority of the state is dominated by the mountain ranges and rangelands of the Rocky Mountain West, while the easternmost section of the state includes part of a high elevation prairie region known as the High Plains. While the tenth largest...
and
ColoradoColorado is a U.S. state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America. It may also be considered to be part of the Western and Southwestern regions of the United States. Colorado entered statehood in 1876 and was nicknamed the “Centennial State”...
in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The range is the northernmost extension of the line of the ranges along the eastern side of the Rockies, and in particular of the higher peaks of the
Front RangeThe Front Range is a mountain range of the Rocky Mountains of North America that is located in the north-central portion of the U.S. State of Colorado...
directly to the south. North of the range, the gap between the Laramie range and the Bighorn Mountains provided the route for historical trails, such as the
Oregon TrailThe Oregon Trail was one of the main overland migration routes on the North American continent, leading from locations on the Missouri River to the Oregon Territory. The eastern half of the trail was also used by travelers on the California Trail, Bozeman Trail, and Mormon Trail which used much of...
, the
Mormon TrailThe Mormon Trail or Mormon Pioneer Trail is the route that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints traveled from 1846 to 1868...
, and the
Pony ExpressThe Pony Express was a fast mail service crossing the North American continent from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, from April 1860 to October 1861...
.
The mountains extend northward from southeastern Wyoming between
CheyenneCheyenne is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Laramie County. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne, Wyoming Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Laramie County. The population was 53,011 at the 2000 census...
and
LaramieLaramie is a city in and the county seat of Albany County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 27,204 at the 2000 census. Located on the Laramie River in southeastern Wyoming, the city is west of Cheyenne, at the junction of Interstate 80 and U.S...
, to
CasperCasper is the only city in and the county seat of Natrona County, Wyoming, United States. With a population of 49,644, Casper is the second largest city in Wyoming, according to the 2000 census...
. They are named after the
Laramie RiverThe Laramie River is a tributary of the North Platte River, approximately 216 mi long, in the U.S. states of Colorado and Wyoming.It rises in northern Colorado, in the Roosevelt National Forest in the Front Range, in western Larimer County...
, which cuts through the range from southwest to northeast and joins the
North Platte RiverThe North Platte River is a tributary of the Platte River, approximately 680 mi long, in the U.S. states of Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska. It forms the Platte at its confluence with the South Platte River in western Nebraska. The river provides the major avenue of drainage for eastern Wyoming...
east of the range in eastern Wyoming. The mountains in turn give their name to the
Laramide orogenyThe Laramide orogeny was a period of mountain building in western North America, which started in the Late Cretaceous, 70 to 80 million years ago, and ended 35 to 55 million years ago. The exact duration and ages of beginning and end of the orogeny are in dispute, as is the cause. The Laramide...
, the uplift of the of
North American PlateThe North American Plate is a tectonic plate covering most of North America, Greenland and parts of Siberia and Iceland. It extends eastward to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and westward to the Chersky Range in eastern Siberia. The plate includes both continental and oceanic crust. The interior of the...
approximately 70 million years ago that created the present Rocky Mountains.
The mountains consist of a series of
PrecambrianThe Precambrian is an informal name for the span of time before the current Phanerozoic Eon, and is divided into several eons of the geologic timescale. It spans from the formation of Earth around 4500 Ma to the beginning of the Cambrian Period, when macroscopic hard-shelled animals first...
Sherman
graniteGranite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite has a medium to coarse texture, occasionally with some individual crystals larger than the groundmass forming a rock known as porphyry. Granites can be pink to dark gray or even black, depending on their...
monadnockA monadnock or inselberg is an isolated rock hill, knob, ridge, or small mountain that rises abruptly from a gently sloping or virtually level surrounding plain. The term "monadnock" is usually used in the United States, whereas "inselberg" is the more common international term...
s rising above a broad erosion surface that form extensive unwooded parks whose surfaces are generally at about above sea level. The high peaks of the range, which are much lower than those commonly associated with the Rocky Mountains, rise abruptly above the surrounding
peneplainA peneplain is the final stage in fluvial or stream erosion.After the streams in an area have reached base level, lateral erosion is dominant - as the streams erode the highland areas between them. Finally, the upland is almost gone: the stream floodplains merge in an area of very low to no...
to altitudes between and above sea level, with the single exception of Laramie Peak which tops out at . The granitic soils were formed from the erosion of the surrounding monadnocks and have an effective depth of less than .
Three principal Life Zones are represented in the Laramies: Upper Sonoran, Transition and Canadian. Some early sources indicated that the Hudsonian Zone occurs on Laramie Peak but there is nothing distinctive about either the flora or fauna on the top of this peak, for it consists of nothing but a large granite outcrop. On the eastern and north eastern slopes of the range the prairie/mountain transition is very gentle at the south end (between Cheyenne and Laramie) and much more abrupt and broken farther north. The elevation ranges from about (1370 m) along the
North Platte RiverThe North Platte River is a tributary of the Platte River, approximately 680 mi long, in the U.S. states of Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska. It forms the Platte at its confluence with the South Platte River in western Nebraska. The river provides the major avenue of drainage for eastern Wyoming...
to at the top of
Laramie PeakLaramie Peak Is the highest and most prominent peak in the Laramie Range. With a peak elevation of , it is the only peak in the Laramie Range to exceed an elevation of...
. On the western slopes the total relief is much less, as the floors of the three
intermontaneIn geography, an intermontane is a feature that lies between mountains. The term refers to plateaus and basins formed by geologic processes. Intermontane plateaus are usually flat open highlands formed when land has been uplifted by tectonic activity...
basinsThe term sedimentary basin is used to refer to any geographical feature exhibiting subsidence and consequent infilling by sedimentation. As the sediments are buried, they are subjected to increasing pressure and begin the process of lithification....
that border the Laramies on this side (Shirley, Hanna and Laramie basins) rarely drop below . An extensive high plain and semi-desert extends from the Laramie Mountains south west as far as the Shirley Mountains. The Laramie Basin separates the Laramie Mountains from the
Medicine Bow Mountains.The Medicine Bow Mountains are a mountain range in the Rocky Mountains that extend for from northern Colorado into southern Wyoming. Wyoming's northern portion of the range is often referred to as The Snowy Range or "The Snowies"...
to the south and west, and its floor is above except for a few depressions and
blowoutBlowouts are sandy depressions in a sand dune ecosystem caused by the removal of sediments by wind.Blowouts occur in partially vegetated dunefields or sandhills. A blowout forms when a patch of protective vegetation is lost, allowing strong winds to "blow out" sand and form a depression...
s (such as Cooper Lake).
The Laramie Mountains are bisected by the
Laramie RiverThe Laramie River is a tributary of the North Platte River, approximately 216 mi long, in the U.S. states of Colorado and Wyoming.It rises in northern Colorado, in the Roosevelt National Forest in the Front Range, in western Larimer County...
, which cuts a canyon through the mountains roughly due west of
WheatlandWheatland is a town in and the county seat of Platte County in southeastern Wyoming, United States. The population was 3,548 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Wheatland is located at ....
, and then continues its generally eastward course to join the
North Platte RiverThe North Platte River is a tributary of the Platte River, approximately 680 mi long, in the U.S. states of Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska. It forms the Platte at its confluence with the South Platte River in western Nebraska. The river provides the major avenue of drainage for eastern Wyoming...
near the town of Fort Laramie. The division marks the southern end of the continuous coniferous forest in the range, and separates the range into two parts. The southern part is generally drier and much more open, with little or no forest except for the southern end at Pole Mountain and surrounding area, where the interesting granite outcrops at
VedauwooVedauwoo is an area of rocky outcrops located in south-eastern Wyoming, United States, near the city of Laramie. Its name is an anglicized version of the Arapaho word "bito'o'wu" meaning "earth-born"...
provide climbing practice and grand picnic scenery.
The range is prominently visible from
Interstate 25Interstate 25 is an Interstate Highway in the western United States. Its odd number indicates that it is primarily a north-south highway...
between Casper and Cheyenne.
Interstate 80Interstate 80 is the second-longest Interstate Highway in the United States . It connects downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, a suburb of New York City. I-80 is the interstate that most closely approximates the route of the Lincoln Highway, the first auto trail to cross the...
crosses the range between Cheyenne and Laramie.
See also
- Geography of Colorado
The geography of the State of Colorado is unusually diverse, encompassing both rugged mountainous terrain and vast plains. The State of Colorado is defined as the geospherical rectangle that stretches from 37°N to 41°N latitude and from 102°03'W to 109°03'W longitude . Colorado is one of only...
- Mountain peaks of Colorado
This article comprises three sortable tables of major mountain peaks of the U.S. State of Colorado.Topographic elevation is the vertical distance above the reference geoid, a precise mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface. Topographic prominence is...
- Mountain ranges of Colorado
The following table lists the major mountain ranges of the U.S. State of Colorado.-Mountain Ranges:-See also:*4000 meter peaks of Colorado*Colorado mountain passes*Geography of Colorado*Lists of mountains*Mountain peaks of Colorado...
- Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in Canada, to New Mexico, in the United States. The range's highest peak is Mount Elbert in Colorado at above sea level...
- State of Colorado
- State of Wyoming
Further reading
- Blackstone, D. L. 1971. Traveler's guide to the geology of Wyoming. Bulletin of the Geological Survey of Wyoming. 55:1-90.
- Cary, M., 1917. Life zone investigations in Wyoming. Bulletin USDA Biological Survey. 42: 1-95.
- Dunbar, C. O. 1960. Historical Geology. J. Wiley & Sons, NY. 2nd Ed., fig. 308.
- Hardesty, Richard L. and Groothuis, Dennis R. Butterflies of the Laramie Mountains, Wyoming (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera.) The introduction provides additional information on the Laramie Mountains. A PDF version of this work may be downloaded at Butterflies of the Laramie Mountains, Wyoming (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera.).
- Marshall, K. & Colbert, E. H. 1965. Stratigraphy and Life History. J. Wiley & Sons, NY.
- Porter, C. L. 1962. A flora of Wyoming. Part I. Bulletin of the University of Wyoming Agricultural Experimental Station. 402.
External links