Butte
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A butte (pronounced /ˈbjuːt/) is a conspicuous isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top; it is smaller than mesas, plateaus, and tables. In some regions the word is used for any hill. The word "butte" comes from a French word meaning "small hill"; its use is prevalent in the western United States, including the southwest, where "mesa" is also used.
In differentiating mesas and buttes, geographers use the rule that a mesa has a top wider than its height, while a butte's top is narrower.[1]
Two noted buttes are Chimney Rock and Crested Butte in Colorado.
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[edit] Formation
Buttes are formed by erosion when hard caprock, covers a layer of softer rock that is eventually worn away. The hard rock thus avoids erosion. On a much smaller scale, the same process forms hoodoos.
 Black Butte, near Sisters, Oregon |
 Butte near Sedona, Arizona |
 Signal Butte near Big Spring, Texas[2] |
[edit] References
- ^ "Mesa and Butte". Science Clarified. 2008. http://www.scienceclarified.com/landforms/Faults-to-Mountains/Mesa-and-Butte.html. Retrieved 2008-06-30.
- ^ Hill, R.T. 1890. A brief description of the Cretaceous rocks of Texas and their economic value. In: Dumble, E.T. (ed.), First Annual Report of the Geological Survey of Texas, 1889. Austin: State Printing Office, pp. 105-141.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- "Mesas and Buttes" photographs and examples
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