Mt. Lemmon Science Tour

The MT. LEMMON SCIENCE TOUR provides a fascinating, family-friendly audio guide for the ride up the scenic Catalina Highway to the top of Mt. Lemmon, the highest peak in the Santa Catalina Mountains near Tucson, Arizona.

Produced by the University of Arizona College of Science, the Tour engages users with the surprising natural science of Southern Arizona, from the enchanting Sonoran Desert to the “Sky Island” mountains on every horizon. With music by the band Calexico, the Tour is narrated by Calexico frontman Joey Burns.

Along with the audio tour, the app also includes slideshows and videos that visualize the science. Through science stories, the Mt. Lemmon Science Tour brings the wonders of this region alive.

Features

• A narrated hour-long science tour in six sections with suggested vista stops along the way

• Graphic slideshows and videos for each section that visualize the science

• Highlights science and scientists from the University of Arizona

• Music by the band Calexico, narration by lead singer Joey Burns

• Section 1, SKY ISLANDS, explores the unique Sonoran Desert and mountains the mountains that rise above it to form islands of forest in a desert sea

• Section 2, ROCKS, explores the region’s Basin and Range geology and how the landscape formed

• Section 3, LIFE ZONES, explores the layers of habitat in the Sky Islands region – there is more biodiversity here than anywhere else in the United States

• Section 4, WATER, explores the key role of water in landscape formation and habitat, and they Arizona Monsoon that brings the region half of its annual rainfall.

• Section 5, FOREST, explores the natural systems that make it possible for pine forests to grow in a desert region, and how all the natural systems connect.

• Section 6, FIRE, explores how fire in the ecosystem has changed due to human influences, and how fire connects with the Carbon Cycle that enables life on Earth.

• The EXPLORE MORE screen provides links to other Geotourism opportunities around Tucson, Arizona