Aspen Butte facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Aspen Butte |
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 Aspen Butte
Location in Oregon
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 8,215 ft (2,504 m) NAVD 88 |
| Prominence | 3,088 ft (941 m) |
| Geography | |
| Location | Klamath County, Oregon, U.S. |
| Parent range | Cascade Range |
| Topo map | USGS Aspen Lake |
| Geology | |
| Age of rock | 4.9–3.5 Ma |
| Mountain type | Shield volcano |
| Volcanic arc | Cascade Volcanic Arc |
| Last eruption | Pleistocene |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | Trail |
Aspen Butte is a tall mountain in southern Oregon. It's actually an old shield volcano located in the Cascade Range. Imagine a warrior's shield lying on the ground – that's what a shield volcano looks like, with gentle slopes. However, Aspen Butte has steep sides because of how it was shaped over time.
This mountain stands about 15 miles (24 km) south of Pelican Butte. It's also about 15 miles (24 km) southeast of Mount McLoughlin. Aspen Butte rises more than 4,000 feet (1,219 meters) above the nearby Upper Klamath Lake.
What is Aspen Butte?
Aspen Butte is a type of volcano called a shield volcano. It formed a very long time ago, between 4.9 and 3.5 million years ago. Even though it's a volcano, it hasn't erupted in a very long time, since the Pleistocene epoch.
A Mountain Shaped by Ice
During the Ice Age, huge sheets of ice called glaciers moved across the land. These glaciers carved out three big, bowl-shaped hollows called cirques on the north and northeast sides of Aspen Butte. This ice removed much of the original top of the mountain. It even took away any signs of a crater that might have been there.
Today, the highest point of Aspen Butte is along a curving ridge. This ridge forms the southern edge of those icy cirques, above steep cliffs.
Neighbors in the Wilderness
Aspen Butte is the tallest of four shield volcanoes found in the Mountain Lakes Wilderness. This wilderness is a protected natural area. All these volcanoes have been shaped by glaciers in different ways.
The other volcanoes nearby include:
- Mount Harriman, which is 7,979 feet (2,432 meters) tall.
- Crater Mountain, standing at 7,785 feet (2,373 meters).
- Greylock Mountain, with a height of 7,741 feet (2,359 meters).
There's also a peak called Mount Carmine, which is 7,882 feet (2,402 meters) tall. It's about 1 mile (1.6 km) north of Aspen Butte. Mount Carmine isn't a separate volcano. Instead, it's the highest part of Aspen Butte's northern side. It was separated from the main volcano by two glacial cirques.
Another smaller cone, called Little Aspen Butte, rises on the southern side of the main volcano. It's 7,235 feet (2,205 meters) tall.
See also
