Elaterite Butte

Elaterite Butte is a 6,552-foot (1,997-meter) elevation summit located in The Maze District of Canyonlands National Park, in Wayne County, Utah.[3] Elaterite Butte is situated 6 mi (9.7 km) southwest of Ekker Butte, and the Maze Overlook is situated 2.5 mi (4.0 km) to the northeast. Elaterite Butte is composed of hard, fine-grained Wingate Sandstone, which is the remains of wind-borne sand dunes deposited approximately 200 million years ago in the Late Triassic. This Wingate sandstone overlays a 432-foot thick layer of the softer Chinle Formation.[4] The top of this geological formation rises over 1,400 feet above Elaterite Basin. The butte and basin are named for elaterite, which is a dark brown, tar-like, elastic mineral resin that seeps from parts of the nearby White Rim Sandstone.[5] Access to the remote butte is via a four-wheel drive road in Elaterite Basin. Precipitation runoff from Elaterite Butte drains into the nearby Green River, which in turn is within the Colorado River drainage basin.

Elaterite Butte
Elaterite Butte, west aspect from Elaterite Basin
Highest point
Elevation6,552 ft (1,997 m) [1]
Prominence752 ft (229 m) [1]
Parent peakLands End (7,151 ft)[1]
Isolation4.88 mi (7.85 km) [1]
Coordinates38°13′01″N 110°02′15″W [1]
Geography
Elaterite Butte
Location of Elaterite Butte in Utah
Elaterite Butte
Elaterite Butte (the United States)
LocationCanyonlands National Park
Wayne County, Utah, U.S.
Parent rangeColorado Plateau
Topo mapUSGS Elaterite Basin
Geology
Age of rockLate Triassic
Type of rockWingate Sandstone
Climbing
Easiest routeclass 5.x climbing[2]

Climate

Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to visit Elaterite Butte. According to the Köppen climate classification system, it is located in a Cold semi-arid climate zone, which is defined by the coldest month having an average mean temperature below −0 °C (32 °F) and at least 50% of the total annual precipitation being received during the spring and summer. This desert climate receives less than 10 inches (250 millimetres) of annual rainfall, and snowfall is generally light during the winter.

See also

References
  1. "Elaterite Butte, Utah". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
  2. "Elaterite Butte - 6,552' UT". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
  3. "Elaterite Butte". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
  4. Arthur A. Baker, "Geology of the Green River Desert - Cataract Canyon Region", US Government Printing Office, 1946, page 62.
  5. Halka Chronic and Lucy Chronic, Pages in Stone, Second Edition, The Mountaineers Books, 2004, page 70.
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