Split Butte

Split Butte
Highest point
Elevation	6,227 ft (1,898 m)
Coordinates	44°15′N111°44′W / 44.25°N 111.73°W / 44.25; -111.73
Geography
Location	Butte County, Idaho, United States
Topo map	USGS Split Butte
Geology
Rock age	300,000 years
Mountain type	Lava dome

Split Butte is a volcanic crater of the Quaternary age ^[1] located in Fremont county in Idaho. ^[2]

The National Park Service called Split Butte one of the most unique features of the Snake River Plain. ^{[3] : 8}

Name

The name of the crater comes from gap in the upper tephra layers at the eastern side of the butte. ^[4]

Geology

Split Butte is also a maars and a tuff cone. ^[5] At one point it had a lava lake. ^[1]

The split, which is located on the east side is believed to be caused by wind erosion. The winds have also caused more pyroclastic debris to the east side. ^[4]

It is slightly surrounded by lava flows from the Wapi lava field ^[6] the butte contains vitric ash that forms a ring. ^{[7] : 252}

References

1. Womer, M. B.; Greely, R.; King, J. S. (September 1, 1980). "The geology of split butte — A maar of the south-central snake river plain, Idaho" . Bulletin Volcanologique. 43 (3): 453–471. Bibcode:1980BVol...43..453W. doi:10.1007/BF02597685. ISSN   1432-0819. S2CID   129237469.
2. "Mindat.org". www.mindat.org. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
3. Service, United States National Park (1989). Reconnaissance Survey: Expansion of Craters of the Moon National Monument. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service.
4. "The Great Rift Zone". digitalatlas.cose.isu.edu. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
5. Orr, William N.; Orr, Elizabeth L. (December 20, 2018). Geology of the Pacific Northwest: Third Edition. Waveland Press. p. 122. ISBN   978-1-4786-3883-4.
6. "Wapi Lava Field". www.usgs.gov. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
7. Wood, Charles A.; Kienle, Jurgen (November 27, 1992). Volcanoes of North America: United States and Canada. Cambridge University Press. ISBN   978-0-521-43811-7.