East Butte Explained

East Butte
Elevation Ft:6572
Elevation Ref:[1] [2]
Prominence Ft:1542
Isolation Mi:19.33
Isolation Ref:[3]
Parent Peak:Big Southern Butte (7,550 ft)
Map:Idaho#USA
Label Position:bottom
Map Size:240
Country:United States of America
State:Idaho
Region:Bingham
Region Type:County
Coordinates:43.5013°N -112.6625°W
Coordinates Ref:[4]
Range:Snake River Plain
Rocky Mountains
Rock:Rhyolite
Age:600,000 years old
Type:Lava dome
Topo:USGS Little Butte SW

East Butte is a 6572adj=midNaNadj=mid summit located in Bingham County, Idaho, United States.

Description

East Butte and line parent Big Southern Butte were major landmarks for early explorers and pioneers.[4] The remote mountain is situated over 40 miles east of Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, 32 miles west of the community of Idaho Falls, and can be seen from Highway 20 midway between Idaho Falls and Arco at milepost 274. East Butte is set on land belonging to the Idaho National Laboratory so access is restricted even though a road leads to multiple radio towers at the top. Topographic relief is modest as the summit rises over 1200abbr=offNaNabbr=off above the Eastern Snake River Plain in one mile. This landform's toponym has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names.[4]

Geology

East Butte is a lava dome composed of aphanitic rhyolite. It formed around 600,000 years ago as sialic magma flowed through a conduit in the basalt plain which surrounds the peak.[5]

Climate

East Butte is located in a cold semi-arid climate zone with warm summers and cold winters (Köppen BSk).[6] Winter temperatures can drop below 0 °F with wind chill factors below −20 °F. Precipitation is relatively sparse.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. United States Geological Survey topographical map - Little Butte SW
  2. 30493. East Butte, Idaho. 2022-09-08.
  3. Web site: East Butte - 6,572' ID. listsofjohn.com. 2022-09-08.
  4. 397667. East Butte. 2022-09-08.
  5. http://railsback.org/arco/VolcanoesPlus.pdf The Land Volcanoes Made: the Buttes of the Snake River Plain from Idaho Falls to Arco, Idaho, railsback.org
  6. Peel, M. C. . Finlayson, B. L. . McMahon, T. A. . 2007 . Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification . Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. . 11 . 1633–1644 . 1027-5606.