Big Southern Butte
Encyclopedia
Big Southern Butte is the largest and youngest (300,000 years old) of three rhyolitic domes formed over a million years near the center of the Eastern Snake River Plain
in the U.S. state
of Idaho
. In fact, it is one of the largest volcanic domes on earth. It rises approximately 2500 vertical feet (762 m) above the lava plain in southern Butte County
, east of Craters of the Moon
National Monument.
Big Southern Butte consists of two coalesced lava dome
s with a base diameter of 6.5 kilometres (4 mi) and a combined volume of approximately 8 cubic kilometres (1.9 cu mi).
Snake River Plain
The Snake River Plain is a geologic feature located primarily within the state of Idaho in the United States of America. It stretches about westward from northwest of the state of Wyoming to the Idaho-Oregon border. The plain is a wide flat bow-shaped depression, and covers about a quarter of Idaho...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
. In fact, it is one of the largest volcanic domes on earth. It rises approximately 2500 vertical feet (762 m) above the lava plain in southern Butte County
Butte County, Idaho
Butte County is a rural county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. It was established in 1917, and its county seat and largest city is Arco. As of the 2010 census, the county had a population of 2,891...
, east of Craters of the Moon
Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve
Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve is a national monument and national preserve located in the Snake River Plain in central Idaho, U.S.A. It is along US 20 , between the small cities of Arco and Carey, at an average elevation of above sea level...
National Monument.
Big Southern Butte consists of two coalesced lava dome
Lava dome
|250px|thumb|right|Image of the [[rhyolitic]] lava dome of [[Chaitén Volcano]] during its 2008–2009 eruption.In volcanology, a lava dome is a roughly circular mound-shaped protrusion resulting from the slow extrusion of viscous lava from a volcano...
s with a base diameter of 6.5 kilometres (4 mi) and a combined volume of approximately 8 cubic kilometres (1.9 cu mi).
External links
- Flash animationAdobe FlashAdobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast...
of Big Southern Butte's geological history. - History of the Big Southern Butte area
- Big Southern Butte is on the Tour of Idaho
- MSRmaps.com - USGS topo map & aerial photo