| Big Indian | |
| Elevation Ft: | 6120. |
| Elevation Ref: | [1] |
| Prominence Ft: | 580. |
| Isolation Mi: | 0.93 |
| Parent Peak: | Brighams Tomb (6,739 ft) |
| Map: | Utah#USA |
| Map Size: | 230 |
| Label Position: | top |
| Location: | Monument Valley San Juan County, Utah, U.S. |
| Range: | Colorado Plateau[2] |
| Coordinates: | 37.0204°N -110.0919°W |
| Coordinates Ref: | [3] |
| Topo: | USGS Monument Pass |
| Rock: | Sandstone |
| Type: | Butte |
| Age: | Permian |
Big Indian is a 6120feet summit in San Juan County, Utah, United States.[3]
Big Indian is situated 3miles north-northeast of the Monument Valley Tribal Park Visitor Center, on Navajo Nation land. It is an iconic landform of Monument Valley and can be seen from Highway 163. Precipitation runoff from this landform's slopes drains into the San Juan River drainage basin.[2] Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 700abbr=offNaNabbr=off above the surrounding terrain in 0.25 mile (0.4 km). The nearest higher summit is Sentinel Mesa, 0.62miles to the southwest.[2] This landform's toponym was officially adopted in 1964 by the United States Board on Geographic Names.[3] It is so named because the butte resembles the face of a native American looking south-southeast into the valley.[4] "Big Chief" and "Big Indian Butte" were alternate names that were ultimately rejected.[5]
Big Indian is composed of two principal strata. The bottom layer is slope-forming Organ Rock Shale underlaying cliff-forming De Chelly Sandstone. The rock was deposited during the Permian period. The buttes and mesas of Monument Valley are the result of the Organ Rock Shale being more easily eroded than the overlaying sandstone.[6]
Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to visit Big Indian. According to the Köppen climate classification system, it is located in a semi-arid climate zone with cold winters and hot summers. Summers average 54 days above 90°F annually, and highs rarely exceed 100°F. Summer nights are comfortably cool, and temperatures drop quickly after sunset. Winters are cold, but daytime highs are usually above freezing. Winter temperatures below 0°F are uncommon, though possible. This desert climate receives less than 10abbr=offNaNabbr=off of annual rainfall, and snowfall is generally light during the winter.[7]