| Ford Butte | |
| Elevation Ft: | 6156 |
| Elevation Ref: | [1] |
| Prominence Ft: | 526 |
| Isolation Mi: | 1.74 |
| Isolation Ref: | [2] |
| Parent Peak: | Bennett Peak (6,471 ft)[3] |
| Range: | Chuska Mountains[4] Colorado Plateau |
| Location: | San Juan County, New Mexico, US |
| Map: | New Mexico#USA |
| Map Size: | 230 |
| Coordinates: | 36.3842°N -108.7078°W |
| Coordinates Ref: | [5] |
| Topo: | USGS Little Water |
| Type: | Volcanic plug |
| Rock: | Volcanic breccia |
| Age: | Oligocene |
| First Ascent: | 1971 |
| Easiest Route: | climbing |
Ford Butte is a 6156feet elevation summit located on Navajo Nation land in San Juan County of northwest New Mexico, United States.[5] It is a landmark set one mile east of U.S. Route 491, along with its nearest higher neighbor, Bennett Peak, on the opposite side of the highway. Ford Butte is one of the major diatremes of the Four Corners area, and with significant relief as it rises 450abbr=offNaNabbr=off above the high-desert plain.[6] It is situated about south-southeast of Shiprock, the most famous of these diatremes. Ford Butte is set in the northeastern part of the Navajo Volcanic Field, a volcanic field that includes intrusions and flows of minette and other unusual igneous rocks which formed around 30 million years ago during the Oligocene.[7] This geographical feature's name was officially adopted in 1915 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.[5]
The first ascent of the north summit was made in 1971 by Mark Dalen and David Nordstrom via a route.[8] [9] The south summit was first climbed April 6, 1990, by Cameron Burns and Mike Baker via a class 5.9 route.[10] Climbing here requires permission from Navajo authorities.
According to the Köppen climate classification system, Ford Butte is located in a semi-arid climate zone with cold winters and hot summers.[11] Ford Butte is within the Chaco River drainage basin.