Split Butte
Volcanic crater in Idaho, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Split Butte is a volcanic crater of the Quaternary age[1] located in Fremont county in Idaho.[2]
| Split Butte | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 6,227 ft (1,898 m) |
| Coordinates | 44.25°N 111.73°W |
| Geography | |
| Location | Butte County, Idaho, United States |
| Topo map | USGS Split Butte |
| Geology | |
| Rock age | 300,000 years |
| Lava dome | |
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
