House Range

The House Range is a mountain range that runs north to south in Millard County, in the west-central part of Utah.

It got its name in 1859 from James H. Simpson. Simpson named it because the rocks in the mountains form clear layers. Some parts of the mountains look like domes, towers, houses, and other buildings. This special shape makes the House Range interesting for people who study the earth and for anyone who enjoys looking at beautiful, unusual mountains.

Geography

The House Range is a mountain range in west-central Utah. It is bordered by Tule Valley to the west, Whirlwind Valley and the Sevier Desert to the east. It runs next to the Fish Springs Range to the north.

The range has three important passes. These are Skull Rock Pass, where US Highway 6 and US Highway 50 pass through. Marjum Canyon is where the old US Highway 6 used to go. And Sand Pass is where the Weiss Highway goes by.

The highest point in the House Range is Swasey Peak. It stands at 9,669 feet. Other well-known peaks are Notch Peak and Tatow Knob. The range is famous for one of the tallest limestone cliffs in the world. This cliff is at Notch Peak.

Geology

The House Range is made of gray rocks from very old times, called Cambrian to Devonian carbonate rock. In the middle, these rocks have pink Jurassic granitoid pushing through them. Far from this pink rock, there is an area called Wheeler Amphitheater with very old animal remains in the Cambrian rocks. You can also see signs that a big lake called Lake Bonneville once touched the range, shown by lines along the shore and white marls at the bottom. The main shape of the range is formed by a big crack, or fault, on its western side.

Fossils

The House Range mountains are known for their old fossils from the Cambrian period. One famous fossil found there is Elrathia kingii, a type of trilobite, which is special to Utah.

The rocks in this area, such as the Swasey Limestone, formed at the same time as other famous fossil sites. These layers have many kinds of ancient sea creatures, showing what life was like long ago.