Escalante Butte facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Escalante Butte
southwest aspect (shows long platform northwestwards of top of Redwall Limestone)
Highest point
Elevation	6,536 ft (1,992 m)
Prominence	876 ft (267 m)
Parent peak	Navajo Point (South Rim)
Geography
Escalante.Butte Location in Arizona
Location	Grand Canyon Coconino County, Arizona. U.S.
Topo map	USGS Desert View
Geology
Age of rock	Permian down to Cambrian
Mountain type	sedimentary rock: sandstone, shale, siltstone, mudstone, sandstone, shale
Type of rock	Coconino Sandstone-(prominence), Hermit Shale, Supai Group-(eroded ridgeline), Redwall Limestone, Muav Limestone, Bright Angel Shale

Escalante Butte is a tall rock formation, or butte, located in the eastern part of the Grand Canyon in Northern Arizona. It stands about 6,536 feet (1,992 meters) high. Just to its east is a slightly smaller butte called Cardenas Butte. Both of these buttes, along with the Grand Canyon's South Rim, are part of the land that drains into Tanner Canyon, which then flows into the Colorado River.

What is Escalante Butte?

Escalante Butte is a prominent landform in the Grand Canyon. A butte is a type of hill with steep sides and a flat top. It's like a smaller version of a mesa. Escalante Butte is named after Francisco Garcés, a Spanish explorer. It's a great example of how the powerful forces of nature, like wind and water, have shaped the landscape of the Grand Canyon over millions of years.

Geology of Escalante and Cardenas Buttes

Escalante Butte showing different rock layers.

Cardenas Butte (on the left) on a ridgeline.

Escalante Butte and Cardenas Butte are both made of similar types of rock and sit on the same long ridge. This ridge is mostly formed from a group of rock layers called the Supai Group.

Escalante Butte is separated from Cardenas Butte by a lower area, or saddle, where water drains into Tanner Canyon. The very top part of Escalante Butte is made of Coconino Sandstone. This sandstone sits on top of softer rock layers like the Hermit Formation (also known as Hermit Shale). Below these are the older, eroded ridges of the Supai Group.

Cardenas Butte is about 300 feet (91 meters) shorter than Escalante Butte and is located about 0.8 miles (1.3 kilometers) to the east. Its small, pointy top is also a tough rock layer from the Supai Group that has resisted erosion. These buttes show us how different rock layers wear away at different speeds, creating the amazing shapes we see in the Grand Canyon.