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40-829: The southeast end of the range has the Continental Divide of the Americas crossing the range over Burro Peak and traversing from Silver City, the Pinos Altos Range , and then the adjacent Little Burro Mountains attached to the Big Burro's on the southeast. The northwest region of the range has the Gila River traversing on a course from the Gila Wilderness , north of Silver City, and the Gila on its excursion towards Arizona, being one of

80-676: A block of the Earth's crust that began as an island arc and collided and merged with North America around 1650 million years ago. Great bodies of magma were intruded into the older rock around 1460 million years ago and cooled underground to form granitic batholiths , including the Burro Mountain granite. A smaller intrusion was emplaced around 1225 million years ago as the Redrock granite. Younger sediments were deposited on top of this rock, but were mostly eroded away when faulting associated with

120-767: A small lake located in the Athabasca Pass . The Alpine Club of Canada 's Abbot Pass Hut sat directly astride the Divide in Abbot Pass on the boundary between Banff National Park and Yoho National Park , and thus precipitation falling on the eastern half of the roof flowed via Lake Louise into Hudson Bay, while rain falling on the western half flowed via Lake O'Hara into the Pacific Ocean. Tertiary Tertiary ( / ˈ t ɜːr . ʃ ə . r i , ˈ t ɜː r . ʃ i ˌ ɛr . i / TUR -shə-ree, TUR -shee-err-ee )

160-687: Is an obsolete term for the geologic period from 66 million to 2.6 million years ago. The period began with the extinction of the non- avian dinosaurs in the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event , at the start of the Cenozoic Era , and extended to the beginning of the Quaternary glaciation at the end of the Pliocene Epoch . The time span covered by the Tertiary has no exact equivalent in

200-654: Is considered part of the Atlantic, then the triple point is at an unimportant-looking, permanently snow and ice covered hump on the border between Alberta and British Columbia , on the southern slope of Snow Dome at 3,456 metres (11,300 ft). The exact location of this potential triple point is somewhat indeterminate because the Columbia Icefield and the snow on top of it shifts from year to year. The snow that falls on it (about 10 metres (33 ft) per year) does not actually flow downhill as water, but creeps downhill in

240-440: Is the approximate center of the range. The Big Burro Mountains have easy access being surrounded by various population centers: Cliff – Gila at the north; Red Rock at the west; Silver City – Tyrone at the east; and White Signal at the southeast. The Continental Divide starts to leave the forested mountain regions as it goes southwest from Silver City. It passes from the southern Little Burro Mountains, crosses

280-455: Is the main reason behind the designation of Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park as the "Crown of the Continent" of North America. The summit of the peak is the world's only oceanic triple divide point. Discounting Antarctica and its ice sheets, only one other continent ( Asia ) borders three oceans, but the inward-draining Endorheic basin area of Central Asia from western China to

320-655: Is the world's only oceanic triple divide, there are secondary triple divide points wherever any two continental divides meet. North America has five major drainage systems: into the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic oceans, plus Hudson Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Other sources such as the International Hydrographic Organization add a sixth: Canada's Northwest Passage basin. Using just the five, there are four secondary continental divides and three secondary triple points,

360-508: The Aral and Caspian Seas is so vast that any Arctic and Indian Ocean tributaries are never within proximity of each other. Thus, North America's status of having a single location draining into three oceans is unique in the world. Sources differ, however, on whether Hudson Bay, entirely south of the Arctic Circle , is part of the Atlantic or Arctic Ocean. Hudson Bay's water budget connects to

400-595: The Gila Wilderness area north of Silver City, and the northern headlands of the two north-south valleys to the southwest, the Animas and Playas Valleys. The adjacent region northwest at the Arizona border is the White Mountains and Mogollon Rim region, and the east of the Arizona transition zone -(Arizona Highlands); the transition zone effectively continues into western New Mexico, and has an eastern perimeter as it borders

440-617: The Great Divide Basin , through the Sierra Madre Range into Colorado where it reaches its highest point in North America at the summit of Grays Peak at 4,352 metres (14,278 ft). It crosses US Hwy 160 in southwestern Colorado at Wolf Creek Pass , where a line symbolizes the division. The Divide then proceeds south into western New Mexico , passing along the western boundary of the endorheic Plains of San Agustin. Although

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480-803: The Hudson Bay - Arctic Ocean drainage region from the Atlantic watershed region. Secondary divides separate the watersheds that flow into the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence River (ultimately into the Atlantic) from watersheds that flow to the Gulf of Mexico (also part of the Atlantic Ocean) via the Missouri-Mississippi-Ohio river system . Another secondary divide follows the Appalachian chain, which separates those streams and rivers that flow directly into

520-705: The Isthmus of Rivas at 47 metres (154 ft) in Nicaragua. In Panama, the Canal cuts through it at 26 metres (85 ft). The Divide continues into South America , where it follows the peaks of the Andes Mountains , traversing western Colombia , central Ecuador , western and southwestern Peru , and eastern Chile (essentially conforming to the Chile- Bolivia and Chile- Argentina boundaries), southward to Cabo San Diego at

560-727: The Laramide orogeny uplifted a large block of crust to form the Big Burro Mountains. An intrusion sometime during the Tertiary emplaced a laccolith with an associated copper ore body that was mined at the Tyrone mine. Deposits of turquoise in the mountains were mined by Native Americans , but most archeological evidence of the pre-European workings was destroyed by subsequent copper mining. Range highpoint, Burro Peak–(Continental Divide) Big Burro Mountains Continental Divide of

600-673: The watersheds that drain into the Pacific Ocean from those river systems that drain into the Atlantic and Arctic Ocean , including those that drain into the Gulf of Mexico , the Caribbean Sea , and Hudson Bay . Although there are many other hydrological divides in the Americas, the Continental Divide is by far the most prominent of these because it tends to follow a line of high peaks along

640-739: The Americas The Continental Divide of the Americas (also known as the Great Divide , the Western Divide or simply the Continental Divide ; Spanish : Divisoria continental de las Américas, Gran Divisoria ) is the principal, and largely mountainous , hydrological divide of the Americas . The Continental Divide extends from the Bering Strait to the Strait of Magellan , and separates

680-785: The Atlantic Ocean from those that exit via the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. Triple Divide Peak in Glacier National Park , Montana, is the point where two of the principal continental divides in North America converge, the primary Continental Divide and the Northern or Laurentian Divide. From this point, waters flow to the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean via the Gulf of Mexico, and the Arctic Ocean via Hudson Bay . Most geographers, geologists, meteorologists, and oceanographers consider this point

720-626: The Atlantic more than to the Arctic Ocean. The channels to the north of Hudson Bay are largely cut off by Baffin Island from the Arctic, so much of the water that enters it mixes with the Atlantic to the east via Hudson Strait rather than north into the Arctic. The result is that most of the ice flowing down the Saskatchewan Glacier eventually ends up as water in the Atlantic Ocean. If Hudson Bay

760-573: The Big Burro's, then on a circuitous route after skirting the northeast region of the Cedar Mountain Range , it passes across the water divide of the north Playas Valley , west of Hachita . It finally enters a series of north-south ranges, including the Pyramid and Animas Mountains , and traverses south into northwest Chihuahua , Mexico. The Big Burro Mountains are part of the Mazatzal province,

800-561: The Continental Divide in Wyoming. The Panama Canal has this same feature, but is man-made. Both the Chagres and Gatun rivers flow into Gatun Lake , which empties to both oceans. Several small lakes along the Divide in the Rocky Mountains between Alberta and British Columbia flow into both provinces and thus into both the Arctic and Pacific Oceans. An example is the " Committee's Punch Bowl ",

840-470: The Divide or the other by their lowest perimeter pass; in other words, an assignment is made by determining how the drainage would occur if the basin were to be progressively filled with water until it overflowed. Large-scale maps, such as those on this page, often show double divide lines when endorheic basins are involved. However, the detailed USGS topographic maps of the United States generally show only

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880-697: The Divide represents the height of land between watersheds, it does not always follow the highest ranges/peaks within each state or province. In Mexico , it passes through Chihuahua , Durango , Zacatecas , Aguascalientes , Jalisco , Guanajuato , Querétaro , México , the Federal District , Morelos , Puebla , Oaxaca , and Chiapas . In Central America, it continues through southern Guatemala , southwestern Honduras , western Nicaragua , western/southwestern Costa Rica , and southern Panama . The divide reaches its lowest natural point in Central America at

920-589: The Rockies, following the crest of the Canadian Rockies southeast to the 120th meridian west , from there forming the boundary between southern British Columbia and southern Alberta . The Divide crosses into the United States in northwestern Montana , at the boundary between Waterton Lakes National Park and Glacier National Park . In Canada, it forms the western boundary of Waterton Lakes National Park, and in

960-881: The US bisects Glacier National Park. Further south, the Divide forms the backbone of the Rocky Mountain Front (Front Range) in the Bob Marshall Wilderness , heads south towards Helena and Butte , then west past the namesake community of Divide, Montana , through the Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness to the Bitterroot Range , where it forms the eastern third of the state boundary between Idaho and Montana. The Divide crosses into Wyoming within Yellowstone National Park and continues southeast around

1000-728: The boundary between Yukon and the Northwest Territories in the Mackenzie Mountains . It then proceeds through the Northern British Columbia Interior via the Cassiar Mountains , Omineca Mountains and northern Nechako Plateau to Summit Lake , north of the city of Prince George and just south of the community of McLeod Lake . From there the Divide traverses the McGregor Plateau to the spine of

1040-525: The current geologic time system, but it is essentially the merged Paleogene and Neogene periods, which are informally called the Early Tertiary and the Late Tertiary, respectively. Even though the term Tertiary has been declared obsolete, some high school curriculums still teach the geologic periods as Precambrian, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, (Cenozoic-)Tertiary and (Cenozoic-)Quaternary. The term Tertiary

1080-699: The form of glacial ice. That ice flows down the Athabasca Glacier to the Arctic Ocean via the Athabasca and Mackenzie rivers. Ice flowing west goes to the Pacific Ocean via Bryce Creek and the Bush and Columbia Rivers . Ice flowing down the Saskatchewan Glacier goes via the North Saskatchewan , Saskatchewan , and Nelson rivers into Hudson Bay . While Triple Divide Peak (or, alternatively, Snow Dome)

1120-578: The hydrological apex of North America, as Hudson Bay is generally considered part of the Arctic Ocean. For example, the International Hydrographic Organization (in its current unapproved working edition only of Limits of Oceans and Seas ) defines the Hudson Bay, with its outlet extending from 62.5 to 66.5 degrees north (just a few miles south of the Arctic Circle ) as being part of the Arctic Ocean, specifically "Arctic Ocean Subdivision 9.11." This hydrological apex of North America status of Triple Divide Peak

1160-639: The main Divide as determined by the overflow rule. Among other things, this eliminates the need to trace out the boundary for a basin that is very shallow and has a nebulous rim, such as the San Luis Closed Basin in Colorado and the basin of the lost streams of Idaho . Another rare exception occurs when a stream near a divide splits and flows in both directions, or a lake straddling the divide overflows in both directions. Examples of these are, respectively, North Two Ocean Creek and Isa Lake , both located on

1200-474: The main ranges of the Rocky Mountains and Andes , at a generally much higher elevation than the other hydrological divisions. Beginning at the westernmost point of the Americas , Cape Prince of Wales , just south of the Arctic Circle, the Continental Divide's geographic path runs through Arctic Alaska , where it reaches its more northerly point close to the U.S.-Canada border near the Beaufort Sea. The Divide zig-zags southwardly over Yukon , and forms part of

1240-418: The major regional river basins of the arid Sonoran Desert of central and southern Arizona . On the other hand, the Big Burro Mountains are on the northwest perimeter of the Chihuahuan Desert as it extends into southern New Mexico through the Playas and Animas Valleys . The Big Burro Mountains are 35 mi long with various widths up to 12–18 mi. The range is in a transitional point between

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1280-599: The others and its two main triple points are much more prominent. The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDT) follows the Divide through the U.S. from the Mexico–US border to the Canada–US border . The trail itself is a corridor of pathways; that is, dedicated footpaths or back roads, either on or near the Continental Divide. A less-developed Canadian extension called the Great Divide Trail continues through five national parks and six provincial parks , ending at Kakwa Lake in east-central British Columbia. Many endorheic regions in North and South America complicate

1320-413: The region to which the designations were originally applied (parts of the Alps and plains of Italy), when the same system was later extended to other parts of Europe and to America, it proved to be inapplicable. Therefore, the use of mollusks was abandoned from the definition and the epochs were renamed and redefined. For much of the time during which the term 'Tertiary' was in formal use, it referred to

1360-546: The rocks of the Tertiary being thought to be associated with the Great Flood . In 1833, Charles Lyell incorporated a Tertiary Period into his own, far more detailed system of classification, based on fossil mollusks he collected in Italy and Sicily in 1828-1829. He subdivided the Tertiary Period into four epochs according to the percentage of fossil mollusks resembling modern species found in those strata . He used Greek names: Eocene, Miocene, Older Pliocene, and Newer Pliocene. Although these divisions seemed adequate for

1400-427: The simple view of east or west, "ocean-bound" water flow. Several endorheic basins straddle or adjoin the Continental Divide, notably the Great Divide Basin in Wyoming, the Plains of San Agustin and the Animas Valley in New Mexico, the Guzmán Basin in New Mexico and Chihuahua, Mexico, and both the Bolsón de Mapimí and the Llanos el Salado in Mexico. Such basins can be, and routinely are, assigned to one side of

1440-419: The southern end of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego . The Divide passes through the Punta Cancanan Pass in Peru at 4,700 metres (15,420 ft). The Arctic Divide or Northern Divide in northern and western Canada separates the Arctic Ocean watershed from the Hudson Bay watershed. Another, mainly non-mountainous, divide, the Laurentian Divide (also sometimes called the Northern Divide), further separates

1480-404: The span of time between 65 and 1.8 million years ago. The end date of the Cretaceous and the start date of the Quaternary were subsequently redefined at c. 66 and 2.6 million years ago respectively. The Tertiary period lies between the Mesozoic Era and the Quaternary Period , although it is no longer recognized as a formal unit by the International Commission on Stratigraphy . The span of

1520-400: The two mentioned previously and a third near Hibbing, Minnesota , where the Northern Divide intersects the Saint Lawrence Seaway divide. Since there is no true consensus on what a continental divide is, there is no real agreement on where the secondary triple points are located. However, the main Continental Divide described in this article is a far more distinctive geological feature than

1560-529: The western and southwestern area of the Plains of San Agustin , about 70 mi north of the Big Burro Mountains. Many mountain ranges in this region are not easily defined with mountain range perimeters. The highest peak in the Big Burro Mountains is Burro Peak, at 8,035 feet (2,449 m). It is located at 32°35′26″N 108°25′58″W  /  32.590635°N 108.432827°W  / 32.590635; -108.432827  ( Eagle Peak (Little Burro Mountains) ) . Bullard Peak, 7,064 feet (2,153 m),

1600-408: Was first used by Giovanni Arduino during the mid-18th century. He classified geologic time into primitive (or primary), secondary, and tertiary periods based on observations of geology in Northern Italy . Later a fourth period, the Quaternary , was applied. In the early development of the study of geology, the periods were thought by scriptural geologists to correspond to the Biblical narrative,

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