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 chose the name because the rocks in the mountains form clear layers, and 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 located in west-central Utah. It is bordered by Tule Valley to the west, Whirlwind Valley and the Sevier Desert to the east, and runs alongside the Fish Springs Range to the north. The range features three important passes: Skull Rock Pass, where US Highway 6 and US Highway 50 pass through, Marjum Canyon, where the old US Highway 6 used to travel, and Sand Pass, where the Weiss Highway goes by.

The highest point in the House Range is Swasey Peak, standing at 9,669 feet. Other well-known peaks in the area include Notch Peak and Tatow Knob. The range is also famous for having one of the tallest limestone cliffs in the world, located at Notch Peak.

Geology

The House Range is made mostly of gray rocks from very old times, called Cambrian to Devonian carbonate rock. In the middle of the range, these rocks have pink Jurassic granitoid pushing through them. Far from this pink rock, there is a special area called Wheeler Amphitheater with very old, well-preserved 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 famous for their old fossils from a time called the Cambrian period. One of the most well-known fossils found there is Elrathia kingii, a type of trilobite, which is very special to the state of Utah.

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