Black Mesa (Apache-Navajo Counties, Arizona)

Black Mesa (also called Big Mountain) is an upland mountainous mesa of Arizona, north-trending in Navajo County, west and southeast-trending in Apache County. In Navajo it is called Dziłíjiin ('Black Mountain') and during Mexican rule of Arizona it was called Mesa de las Vacas (Spanish for 'mesa of the cows').^[1] It derives its dark appearance from the numerous seams of coal that run through it.^[2]

Satellite image of northeastern Arizona and northwestern New Mexico, including the Four Corners Monument (FC). Some higher elevations have a dust of snow. Labeled natural features are the Chuska Mountains (CM), the Carrizo Mountains (C), Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park (MV), Black Mesa (B), Canyon de Chelly National Monument (CdC), and the Defiance Uplift-(Plateau) (D). Labeled towns are Farmington, New Mexico (F), Gallup, New Mexico (G), Window Rock, Arizona (WR), and Kayenta, Arizona (K).

Geography[]

The mesa is located on the Colorado Plateau near Kayenta, Arizona, and rises to over 8168 feet. Its highest peak is located on Black Mesa's northern rim, a few miles south of the town of Kayenta. Reliable springs surfacing at several locations mean the mesa is more suitable for continuous habitation than much of the surrounding desert area. It is now split between the Hopi and Diné (Navajo) tribal reservations.^[3]

Black Mesa is also the name of a small Navajo community off BIA-8066, which lies 17 miles west of Rough Rock, 20 miles north of Blue Gap and 25 miles northeast of Pinon. In the area is a local Chapter House and a community school.^[4]

Mining[]

Black Mesa, west of Chilchinbito, Arizona.

Since the 1960s the mesa has been strip mined for coal by the Peabody Western Coal Company, stirring a controversy over Peabody Energy's use of groundwater to transport coal.

In 2013, the Climate Justice Alliance (CJA), collaborating with the Black Mesa Water Coalition, held their first national gathering in opposition to the strip mining of the mesa. The gathering had an attendance of 100 members. ^[5]

References[]

^ "The National Gazetteer of the United States of America; Arizona 1986". Professional Paper. 1987. doi:10.3133/pp1200az. ISSN 2330-7102.
^ News, Sarah Donahue Cronkite. "Clean energy produced on Navajo land could help power Los Angeles". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 2020-03-08.
^ "Black Mesa, Arizona | The Tony Hillerman Portal". ehillerman.unm.edu. Retrieved 2020-03-08.
^ "Black Mesa Community School District (2020) | Pinon, AZ". www.publicschoolreview.com. Retrieved 2020-03-08.
^ "First National Our Power Campaign Convening". Climate Justice Alliance. 2013-06-13. Retrieved 2020-03-08.

Coordinates: 34°16′51″N 113°50′19″W / 34.2808509°N 113.8385493°W / 34.2808509; -113.8385493

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[1] "The National Gazetteer of the United States of America; Arizona 1986". Professional Paper. 1987. doi:10.3133/pp1200az. ISSN 2330-7102.

[2] News, Sarah Donahue Cronkite. "Clean energy produced on Navajo land could help power Los Angeles". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 2020-03-08.

[3] "Black Mesa, Arizona | The Tony Hillerman Portal". ehillerman.unm.edu. Retrieved 2020-03-08.

[4] "Black Mesa Community School District (2020) | Pinon, AZ". www.publicschoolreview.com. Retrieved 2020-03-08.

[5] "First National Our Power Campaign Convening". Climate Justice Alliance. 2013-06-13. Retrieved 2020-03-08.

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show v t Mountains of Arizona
Black Hills (Yavapai County)	Mingus Mountain
Black Mountains	Boundary Cone Fortification Hill Mount Wilson
Bradshaw Mountains	Mount Union
Castle Dome Mountains	Castle Dome
Cerbat Mountains	Mount Tipton
Chiricahua Mountains	Chiricahua Peak
Chuska Mountains	Roof Butte
Dragoon Mountains	Mount Glenn
Hieroglyphic Mountains	White Picacho
Huachuca Mountains	Carr Peak Miller Peak
Hualapai Mountains	Aubrey Peak Hualapai Peak
Little Ajo Mountains	Ajo Peak
Little Dragoon Mountains	Lime Peak Mae West Peaks
Mazatzal Mountains	Four Peaks Mount Ord
McDowell Mountains	East End McDowell Peak Mount McDowell Thompson Peak
Mule Mountains	Mount Ballard
Phoenix Mountains	Camelback Mountain Mummy Mountain Piestewa Peak South Mountains Sunnyslope Mountain
Pinal Mountains	Pinal Peak
Pinaleño Mountains	Mount Graham
Plomosa Mountains	Ibex Peak
Quinlan Mountains	Kitt Peak
Rincon Mountains	Mica Mountain
San Francisco Peaks	Agassiz Peak Doyle Peak Fremont Peak
San Francisco Volcanic Field	Black Bottom Crater Double Crater Humphreys Peak Kendrick Peak Mount Elden O'Leary Peak Roden Crater S P Crater Strawberry Crater Sunset Crater
Santa Catalina Mountains	Mount Bigelow Mount Lemmon Pusch Ridge Thimble Peak
Santa Rita Mountains	Mount Hopkins Mount Wrightson
Santa Teresa Mountains	Mount Turnbull
Sierra Ancha	Mistake Peak
Sierra Prieta	Granite Mountain
Superstition Mountains	Superstition Mountain Weavers Needle
Tank Mountains	Black Dome
Tucson Mountains	Sentinel Peak Tumamoc Hill
Whetstone Mountains	Apache Peak
White Mountains	Black Mesa (Navajo County) Escudilla Mountain Mount Baldy
Others	Agathla Peak Agua Caliente Mountains Agua Dulce Mountains Antelope Hill Aquarius Mountains Artillery Mountains Atascosa Mountains Aubrey Hills Baboquivari Peak Balakai Mesa Beaver Dam Mountains Belmont Mountains Bill Williams Mountain Bitsihuitsos Butte Black Hills (Greenlee County) Black Mesa (Apache-Navajo Counties) Black Mesa (Warm Springs) Black Mountain (Maricopa County) Black Mountain (Pima County) Blackjack Mountains Bryan Mountains Buckskin Mountain (Arizona-Utah) Buckskin Mountains (La Paz County) Bush Head Cabeza Prieta Mountains Canelo Hills Carrizo Mountains Cerro Colorado Mountains Chocolate Mountains Copper Mountains Coyote Mountains Date Creek Mountains Dome Rock Mountains Dos Cabezas Mountains Etoi Ki Excalibur Galiuro Mountains Gavilan Peak Gila Bend Mountains Gila Mountains (Graham County) Gila Mountains (Yuma County) Goldfield Mountains Grand Wash Cliffs Granite Mountains Granite Wash Mountains Growler Mountains Gu Achi Peak Guadalupe Mountains Harcuvar Mountains Harquahala Mountains House Mountain Hunts Mesa Isis Temple John the Baptist Mountains Juniper Mesa Kaibab Plateau Kofa Mountains Laguna Mountains Las Guijas Mountains Lime Mountain (Maricopa County} Little Harquahala Mountains Little Rincon Mountains Lukachukai Mountains Madrean Sky Islands Mescal Mountains Mineral Mountains Moccasin Mountains Mohave Mountains Mohawk Mountains Mount Trumbull Muggins Mountains Mustang Mountains Navajo Mountain The Needles New River Mountains New Water Mountains Newton Butte Painted Rock Mountains Pajarito Mountains Patagonia Mountains Peacock Mountains Picacho Peak Picketpost Mountain Pinnacle Peak Poachie Range Poston Butte Rawhide Mountains Sacaton Mountains San Luis Mountains Santa Maria Mountains Sevenmile Mountains Sierra San Antonio Sierra Estrella Sierra Madre Occidental Sierra Pinta Silver Bell Mountains Squaw Tits Sugarloaf Mountain Sunset Mountains Swisshelm Mountains Tempe Butte Temple Butte Tinajas Altas Mountains Tordillo Mountain Tortolita Mountains Trigo Mountains Tule Mountains Tumacacori Mountains Virgin Mountains Vulcan's Throne Vulture Mountains Waterman Mountains Weaver Mountains West Silver Bell Mountains White Tank Mountains Wickenburg Mountains

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Black Mesa (Apache-Navajo Counties, Arizona)

Contents

Geography[]

Mining[]

See also[]

References[]