East Beckwith Mountain facts for kids

Quick facts for kids East Beckwith Mountain
East Beckwith Mountain viewed from the northeast. The high point is the summit on the right.
Highest point
Elevation	12,441 ft (3,792 m)
Prominence	2,492 ft (760 m)
Isolation	6.24 mi (10.04 km)
Listing	Colorado prominent summits
Geography
East Beckwith Mountain Location in Colorado
Location	Gunnison County, Colorado, U.S.
Parent range	West Elk Mountains
Topo map	USGS 7.5' topographic map Anthracite Range, Colorado
Climbing
Easiest route	hike

East Beckwith Mountain is a very noticeable mountain peak in the West Elk Mountains. This mountain range is part of the larger Rocky Mountains in North America.

The top of East Beckwith Mountain is 12,441-foot (3,792 m) high. It is located inside the West Elk Wilderness, which is a protected area within Gunnison National Forest. The mountain is about 13.4 miles (21.5 km) west of the Town of Crested Butte in Gunnison County, Colorado, United States.

How East Beckwith Mountain Was Formed

East Beckwith Mountain is a special type of mountain called a laccolith. Imagine hot, melted rock, called magma, pushing up from deep inside the Earth. Instead of erupting like a volcano, this magma pushed its way into layers of softer rock, like the Mancos Shale, about 30 million years ago.

Over millions of years, the softer rock layers on top slowly wore away due to wind and water. This process is called erosion. As the softer rock disappeared, the harder, cooled magma was left exposed, forming the mountain we see today. This hard rock is known as igneous rock.

East Beckwith Mountain is one of many laccoliths in the West Elk and nearby Elk Mountains. What makes East Beckwith Mountain special are its unique shapes created by glaciers.

Glacial Features of the Mountain

The north side of East Beckwith Mountain has some amazing features carved by ancient glaciers. Glaciers are like giant, slow-moving rivers of ice. As they moved, they scooped out bowl-shaped hollows called cirques. East Beckwith Mountain has five of these cirques.

Between these cirques, sharp, knife-like ridges called arêtes were left behind. At the base of the mountain, you can also see piles of rock and dirt called moraines. These were left behind by the melting glaciers, showing where they once reached.

Mountain's Past Names

Mountains often have different names throughout history. East Beckwith Mountain has been known by a couple of names:

• East Beckwith Mountain (its current name)
• Mount Beckwith