索普里斯山，科罗拉多州，美国 Mount Sopris, Colorado (© Jason Hatfield/Tandem Stills + Motion)

索普里斯山，科罗拉多州，美国 Mount Sopris, Colorado (© Jason Hatfield/Tandem Stills + Motion)

高高的落基山脉 Rocky Mountain high

索普里斯山，科罗拉多州

巍峨的索普里斯山矗立在科罗拉多州落基山脉中部的一支名为埃尔克的山脉上。它位于卡本代尔镇附近，拥有两个显眼的山峰，即东索普里斯山和西索普里斯山。很多人误以为索普里斯山是一座火山，但实际上，该山体内部的岩浆并没有喷发出来，而是在约10,000英尺的地下深处结晶后形成了一个巨大的被岩石覆盖的穹顶。除了自然魅力之外，索普里斯山还是多个土著民族的圣地，比如历史上曾在该地区居住过的犹他人部落就是其中之一。因此，索普里斯山一直是落基山脉的标志性景点，吸引了众多游客和探险者前来参观。

Mount Sopris, Colorado

The rising sun hits the twin peaks of Mount Sopris in this autumnal scene, in Colorado's Elk Mountains, in the Rockies. Known as East Sopris and West Sopris, the two summits are both 12,965 feet in elevation, towering over the town of Carbondale, in the Roaring Fork Valley. It's a common misconception that Mount Sopris was a volcano but, although magma built up beneath its surface, it never erupted. Instead, it crystallized about 10,000 feet beneath the Earth's surface, creating a massive rock-covered dome. Erosion by rain, melting snow and glacial ice then shaped it into this twin-peaked giant over tens of millions of years.

Mount Sopris was a hallowed site for Indigenous peoples, including the Ute tribes who have historically inhabited the region. The Roaring Fork and Crystal Valleys served as seasonal dwellings and hunting territories for the Parianuche and Yampa bands of the Ute people. The mountain continues to be a beloved emblem of the Colorado Rocky Mountains, drawing in visitors and adventurers alike.