Elkhorn Mountains
Encyclopedia
The Elkhorn Mountains are a mountain range
in southwestern Montana
, part of the Rocky Mountains
and are roughly 300,000 acres (1200 km²) in size. It is an inactive volcanic mountain range with the highest point being Crow Peak at 9414 ft (2,869 m), right next to Elkhorn Peak, 9381 ft (2,859 m). The range is surrounded by the cities of Helena
, Montana City
, Townsend
, Whitehall
, and Boulder
and is part of the Helena National Forest
in Montana's Jefferson County
.
The rocks of the Elkhorns were formed about 74 to 81 million years ago (Late Cretaceous
time) as a result of the Farallon tectonic plate
subducting beneath western North America and allowing magma
to rise to the surface. The Elkhorn Mountains Volcanics are extrusive rocks related to the plutonic granites of the Boulder Batholith
. Volcanic flows, lahar
s, and ash falls from sources in the Elkhorn Mountains reach as far as Choteau, Montana
, but the thickest deposits lie within a radius of about 60 miles (96.6 km) from the Elkhorns. http://mathscience.mt.gov/Elkhorn.html The volcanics probably originally covered an area of about 10000 square miles (25,899.9 km²). Mineral deposits associated with the Elkhorn Mountains Volcanics include those mined at Elkhorn, Montana
, now a ghost town, and gold at the Golden Sunlight Mine
near Whitehall
, which is associated with a breccia pipe in the volcanics.
The mountain range seen today is related to regional structural uplift dating mostly to Oligocene
time.
s growing into new lodgepole pine
forests. The land has been used extensively in the past for gold
and silver
mining
, logging
, and open range grazing, leaving a noticeable impact; most notably the abandoned mining town
of Elkhorn
. Recently with efforts conducted by the BLM
, Montana FWP and Helena National Forest
, new conservation
and wildlife management
plans have been put into place including big horn sheep reintroduction and the westslope cutthroat trout
restoration
program. Management of the 2000+ elk
heard in the area and the suppression of noxious weeds
is also an ongoing task. Annually there is an endurance run on certain trails throughout the mountain range.
Mountain range
A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...
in southwestern Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, part of the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
and are roughly 300,000 acres (1200 km²) in size. It is an inactive volcanic mountain range with the highest point being Crow Peak at 9414 ft (2,869 m), right next to Elkhorn Peak, 9381 ft (2,859 m). The range is surrounded by the cities of Helena
Helena, Montana
Helena is the capital city of the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat of Lewis and Clark County. The 2010 census put the population at 28,180. The local daily newspaper is the Independent Record. The Helena Brewers minor league baseball and Helena Bighorns minor league hockey team call the...
, Montana City
Montana City, Montana
Montana City is a census-designated place in Jefferson County, Montana, United States. The population was 2,094 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Helena Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Montana City is located at ....
, Townsend
Townsend, Montana
Townsend is a city in and the county seat of Broadwater County, Montana, United States. The population was 1,867 at the 2000 census.-History:...
, Whitehall
Whitehall, Montana
Whitehall is a town in Jefferson County, Montana, United States. The population was 1,044 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Helena Micropolitan Statistical Area.Newscaster Chet Huntley graduated from Whitehall High School in 1929.-Geography:...
, and Boulder
Boulder, Montana
Boulder is a town in and the county seat of Jefferson County, Montana, United States. It is on the north bank of the Boulder River between Butte and Helena, slightly east of the Continental Divide, at the intersection of Interstate 15 and Montana Highway 69. The population was 1,300 at...
and is part of the Helena National Forest
Helena National Forest
Helena National Forest is located in west-central Montana, in the United States. Covering 976,000 acres , the forest is broken into several separate sections. The eastern regions are dominated by the Big Belt Mountains, and are the location of the Gates of the Mountains Wilderness, which remains...
in Montana's Jefferson County
Jefferson County, Montana
-National protected areas:*Deerlodge National Forest *Helena National Forest -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 10,049 people, 3,747 households, and 2,847 families residing in the county. The population density was 6 people per square mile . There were 4,199 housing units at an...
.
Geology
Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous period is divided in the geologic timescale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous series...
time) as a result of the Farallon tectonic plate
Farallon Plate
The Farallon Plate was an ancient oceanic plate, which began subducting under the west coast of the North American Plate— then located in modern Utah— as Pangaea broke apart during the Jurassic Period...
subducting beneath western North America and allowing magma
Magma
Magma is a mixture of molten rock, volatiles and solids that is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and is expected to exist on other terrestrial planets. Besides molten rock, magma may also contain suspended crystals and dissolved gas and sometimes also gas bubbles. Magma often collects in...
to rise to the surface. The Elkhorn Mountains Volcanics are extrusive rocks related to the plutonic granites of the Boulder Batholith
Boulder Batholith
The Boulder Batholith is a small batholith in southwest Montana, exposed at the surface as granite and serving as the host rock for rich mineralized deposits at Butte, Montana and other locations....
. Volcanic flows, lahar
Lahar
A lahar is a type of mudflow or debris flow composed of a slurry of pyroclastic material, rocky debris, and water. The material flows down from a volcano, typically along a river valley. The term is a shortened version of "berlahar" which originated in the Javanese language of...
s, and ash falls from sources in the Elkhorn Mountains reach as far as Choteau, Montana
Choteau, Montana
Choteau is a city in and the county seat of Teton County, Montana, United States. It lies along U.S. Routes 89 and 287 about east of the Rocky Mountains, near Flathead National Forest, the Rocky Mountain Division of Lewis and Clark National Forest, and Glacier National Park. The population was...
, but the thickest deposits lie within a radius of about 60 miles (96.6 km) from the Elkhorns. http://mathscience.mt.gov/Elkhorn.html The volcanics probably originally covered an area of about 10000 square miles (25,899.9 km²). Mineral deposits associated with the Elkhorn Mountains Volcanics include those mined at Elkhorn, Montana
Elkhorn, Montana
Elkhorn is a small ghost town in Jefferson County, Montana, United States, in the Elkhorn Mountains of the southwestern part of the state.-History:...
, now a ghost town, and gold at the Golden Sunlight Mine
Golden Sunlight mine
The Golden Sunlight mine is an open pit gold mine in Jefferson County, Montana, approximately east of Butte, Montana. The mine sits at an elevation of on the Bull Mountain range. The mine has been in operation since 1975, and in 2008, the mine produced of gold. The mine's proprietors estimate...
near Whitehall
Whitehall, Montana
Whitehall is a town in Jefferson County, Montana, United States. The population was 1,044 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Helena Micropolitan Statistical Area.Newscaster Chet Huntley graduated from Whitehall High School in 1929.-Geography:...
, which is associated with a breccia pipe in the volcanics.
The mountain range seen today is related to regional structural uplift dating mostly to Oligocene
Oligocene
The Oligocene is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 34 million to 23 million years before the present . As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period are well identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the period are slightly...
time.
The Land
A forest fire in 1988 burned 47,000 acres (190 km²) of the mountain range, leaving carpets of seedlingSeedling
thumb|Monocot and dicot seedlingsA seedling is a young plant sporophyte developing out of a plant embryo from a seed. Seedling development starts with germination of the seed. A typical young seedling consists of three main parts: the radicle , the hypocotyl , and the cotyledons...
s growing into new lodgepole pine
Lodgepole Pine
Lodgepole Pine, Pinus contorta, also known as Shore Pine, is a common tree in western North America. Like all pines, it is evergreen.-Subspecies:...
forests. The land has been used extensively in the past for gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
and silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
, logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
, and open range grazing, leaving a noticeable impact; most notably the abandoned mining town
Mining town
A mining community, also known as a mining town or a mining camp, is a community that houses miners. Mining communities are usually created around a mine or a quarry for the extraction or smeltering of ore.-United States:...
of Elkhorn
Elkhorn, Montana
Elkhorn is a small ghost town in Jefferson County, Montana, United States, in the Elkhorn Mountains of the southwestern part of the state.-History:...
. Recently with efforts conducted by the BLM
Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's public lands, totaling approximately , or one-eighth of the landmass of the country. The BLM also manages of subsurface mineral estate underlying federal, state and private...
, Montana FWP and Helena National Forest
Helena National Forest
Helena National Forest is located in west-central Montana, in the United States. Covering 976,000 acres , the forest is broken into several separate sections. The eastern regions are dominated by the Big Belt Mountains, and are the location of the Gates of the Mountains Wilderness, which remains...
, new conservation
Habitat conservation
Habitat conservation is a land management practice that seeks to conserve, protect and restore, habitat areas for wild plants and animals, especially conservation reliant species, and prevent their extinction, fragmentation or reduction in range...
and wildlife management
Wildlife management
Wildlife management attempts to balance the needs of wildlife with the needs of people using the best available science. Wildlife management can include game keeping, wildlife conservation and pest control...
plans have been put into place including big horn sheep reintroduction and the westslope cutthroat trout
Westslope cutthroat trout
The westslope cutthroat trout , also known as the blackspotted cutthroat, is a subspecies of the cutthroat trout and is a freshwater fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes. The cutthroat is the Montana state fish...
restoration
Restoration ecology
-Definition:Restoration ecology is the scientific study and practice of renewing and restoring degraded, damaged, or destroyed ecosystems and habitats in the environment by active human intervention and action, within a short time frame...
program. Management of the 2000+ elk
Elk
The Elk is the large deer, also called Cervus canadensis or wapiti, of North America and eastern Asia.Elk may also refer to:Other antlered mammals:...
heard in the area and the suppression of noxious weeds
Noxious weeds
A noxious weed is an invasive species of a plant that has been designated by country, state or provincial, or national agricultural authorities as one that is injurious to agricultural and/or horticultural crops, natural habitats and/or ecosystems, and/or humans or livestock...
is also an ongoing task. Annually there is an endurance run on certain trails throughout the mountain range.