Whetstone Mountain facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Whetstone Mountain
Highest point
Elevation	12,527 ft (3,818 m)
Prominence	2,456 ft (749 m)
Isolation	9.39 mi (15.11 km)
Listing	Colorado prominent summits
Geography
Whetstone Mountain Location in Colorado
Location	Gunnison County, Colorado, United States
Parent range	West Elk Mountains
Topo map	USGS 7.5' topographic map Crested Butte, Colorado
Climbing
Easiest route	hike

Whetstone Mountain is a cool peak in western Colorado, standing tall at 12,527 feet (3,818 meters). It's part of the beautiful Gunnison National Forest. You can find this mountain about 3 miles (5 km) south of a town called Crested Butte in Gunnison County.

Whetstone Mountain is special because it's a type of mountain called a laccolith. There are several laccoliths in the West Elk Mountains range.

How Whetstone Mountain Was Formed

Whetstone Mountain is a great example of a laccolith. This means it was formed when hot, melted rock, called magma, pushed its way up into layers of softer rock underground. This happened about 30 million years ago!

What is a Laccolith?

Imagine a giant bubble of magma trying to rise. Instead of breaking through the surface like a volcano, it pushed the layers of sedimentary rock (like sandstone or shale) above it into a dome shape. The magma then cooled and hardened underground, forming a type of igneous rock.

Over millions of years, wind, rain, and ice slowly wore away the softer sedimentary rocks that were on top. This process, called erosion, eventually exposed the harder igneous rock that makes up Whetstone Mountain today.

Rocks and Glaciers

The mountain is made of strong, hard rocks like quartz monzonite porphyry and granodiorite porphyry. These are types of igneous rock that are very tough.

Long ago, glaciers also helped shape Whetstone Mountain. Glaciers are like giant rivers of ice that slowly move and carve out land. On the north side of the mountain, you can still see bowl-shaped hollows called cirques. These were carved out by ancient glaciers.

How Whetstone Mountain Got Its Name

The mountain's name comes from rocks found in the area during a scientific survey in the early 1870s. This survey was called the Hayden Survey.

The scientists found special rocks there that were useful for sharpening tools. These rocks are called whetstones, or sometimes hornfels. They are a type of rock that changes when heated by magma, making them very hard and good for sharpening.

Historical Names

Over time, the mountain has been known by a couple of names:

• Wheatstone Mountain
• Whetstone Mountain – This became the official name in 1927.