Copper Mountain (Wyoming)
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| Copper Mountain | |
|---|---|
 Copper Mountain is visible on the right side of this image of Boysen Reservoir. To the left are the Owl Creek Mountains. | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 8,312 ft (2,533 m)[1] |
| Prominence | 2,021 ft (616 m)[1] |
| Coordinates | 43°27′34″N 107°56′41″W / 43.45944°N 107.94472°W[2] |
| Geography | |
  Copper Mountain | |
| Parent range | Bridger Mountains |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | Access Road |
Copper Mountain is a roughly 8,312 feet (2,533 m) mountain in the Bridger Mountains, a small range that straddles the Fremont and Hot Springs County line.[3]
The range rises north of Shoshoni, and is split by Wind River Canyon. The Owl Creek Mountains are west of Wind River Canyon. Copper Mountain is also sometimes known as Bridger's Mountain. Copper Mountain is part of a larger BLM owned parcel known as The Copper Mountain Wildlife Study area, which encompasses 6,858 acres. Most of the mountain is scattered limber pine and juniper with rocky slopes.[4] Nearby Boysen Reservoir is visible from Copper Mountain. The area is popular for hikers, hunters, and rock climbers, which has caused conflicts with local ranchers.[5]
Copper Mountain is features Archean rocks of the Wyoming Craton and is overlain in the southern part by Cenozoic sedimentary rocks.[6] Lithium-bearing pegmatite (otherwise known as igneous rock containing crystals) has been found on Copper Mountain, including amblygonite, lepidolite, iron-manganese phosphates, columbite, tapiolite and beryl.[7]
Mining
Copper Mountain is home to several mines, including those for uranium.[8] Three of the four uranium mines in Wyoming are still producing. The Arrowhead Mine on Copper Mountain produced around 500,000 pounds of Uranium in the 1960s and 70s.[9] Copper Mountain was also mined for iron, some of which was discovered in the 1950s.[10]