Product Code Database
In geomorphology, a butte ( ) is an isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top; buttes are smaller than , , and tablelands. The word butte comes from the French language word (), meaning 'hillock' (of any size); its use is prevalent in the Western United States, including the Southwest, where is used for the larger landform.
Due to their distinctive shapes, buttes are frequently landmarks in and mountainous areas. (1997). 9780922152346, American Geological Institute. ISBN 9780922152346 To differentiate the two landforms, geographers use the rule of thumb that a mesa has a top that is wider than its height, while a butte has a top that is narrower than its height. (2025). 9780199653065, Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199653065
The term butte is sometimes applied more broadly to isolated, steep-sided hills with pointed or craggy, rather than flat, tops. Three notable formations that are either named butte or may be considered buttes even though they do not conform to the formal geographer's rule are Scotts Bluff in Nebraska which is a collection of five bluffs, Crested Butte, which is a mountain in Colorado, and Elephant Butte, which is now an island in Elephant Butte Reservoir in New Mexico.
Among the well-known non-flat-topped buttes in the United States are Bear Butte, South Dakota, Black Butte, Oregon, and the Sutter Buttes in California. In many cases, buttes have been given other names that do not use the word butte, for example, Courthouse Rock, Nebraska. Also, some large hills that are technically not buttes have names using the word, examples of which are Kamiak Butte, Chelan Butte and Steptoe Butte in Washington state.
Gallery
See also
Footnotes
External links
|
|
