Little Ajo Mountains
| Little Ajo Mountains | |
|---|---|
|
The Little Ajo Mountains in the lower left of the image beside Ajo and the New Cornelia open pit mine | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Black Mountain (Arizona) |
| Elevation | 3,008 ft (917 m) |
| Geography | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Arizona |
| Range coordinates | 32°21′N 112°53′W / 32.35°N 112.88°WCoordinates: 32°21′N 112°53′W / 32.35°N 112.88°W |
The Little Ajo Mountains is a mountain range in southern Arizona, in extreme western Pima County, Arizona. The city of Ajo sits on the northeast of this small mountain range. Both the mountain range and city take their name from the Spanish word for garlic.
The range is a 13 by 13-mile (21 by 21-km) long range and is connected loosely northwest to Childs Mountain a northwest-southeast small mountain at the south of Childs Valley. Ajo, is in the center-east of the range, and is famous for the New Cornelia open pit copper mine located in the Little Ajo Mountains.
The peaks in the Little Ajo Mountains include the isolated Black Mountain which lies to the south of Ajo and has a peak elevation of 3,008 feet (917 m).[1] Cardigan Peak at 2,922 feet (891 m) lies in the main mountain mass to the west of Ajo. Ajo Peak at 2,619 feet (798 m) and North Ajo Peak 2,776 feet (846 m) are isolated peaks to the southwest of Ajo. Camelback Mountain at 2,573 feet (784 m) lies just south of Ajo and overlooks the New Cornelia pit just to the east.[2]
The Batamote Mountains lie to the northeast, the Pozo Redondo Mountains lie to the east, Bates Mountains and the Ajo Range lie to the south and the Growler Mountains lie to the west.[3] The Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range lies to the north and west of the mountains and the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refugealso lies to the west.
Valleys surrounding the Ajo Range
Three valleys drain from the Little Ajo Mountains region because the range is on a water divide and forms a triple divide point. Northwesterly from around Childs Mountain, the Childs Valley drains into the Growler Wash. From the south of the Little Ajo's the drainage is south-west-north, at the northern perimeter of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. The east flank of the northwest-southeast Growler Mountains merge into the Little Ajo Mountains. The Growler Valley to the west merges with the Childs Wash drainage, and enters the San Cristobal Wash Drainage on its southeast. The wash only heads towards the Gila River Valley, but disappears into the ground.
To the northeast of the Little Ajo Range, and Ajo is the origins of Tenmile Wash. The wash also is northwest-draining through the northwest-southeast Childs Valley - but on the east of the valley. The Childs Valley is also part of the water divide between the San Cristobal Wash Drainage west and the Tenmile Wash Drainage east. The two drainages begin the Gila River's turn from south-to-west to end at the Gila River's confluence with the Colorado River at Yuma, Arizona–Winterhaven, California.
Access to the mountains
Ajo, Arizona and the mountains are 70 miles (113 km) south of Interstate 8 by way of State Route 85; they are also 80 miles (129 km) west of Quijotoa, Arizona and the Tohono O'odham Reservation.