Square Butte (Arizona)

Square Butte is a 7,140-foot-elevation (2,180 m) sandstone summit located on Navajo Nation land, in Coconino County of northern Arizona.[2] It is situated 35 miles (56 km) southeast of the town of Page, and nine miles (14 km) east of Kaibito, where it towers over 700 feet (210 m) above the surrounding terrain as a landmark alongside Arizona State Route 98. Square Butte is known as Tsé Dikʼání in Navajo language, meaning "square rock."[3] Its nearest higher neighbor is White Mesa, two miles (3.2 km) to the south. Precipitation runoff from Square Butte drains to northwest into Square Butte Wash or northeast into Potato Canyon, then ultimately Lake Powell, all part of the Colorado River drainage basin. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Square Butte is located in an arid climate zone with hot, very dry summers, and chilly winters.[4] Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to visit. The top of Square Butte is composed of Entrada Sandstone including the Cow Springs Member, and it overlays Carmel Formation, all of which was deposited in the Jurassic period.[5]

Square Butte
Tsé Dikʼání
Southeast aspect
Highest point
Elevation7,140 ft (2,180 m) [1]
Prominence400 ft (120 m) [1]
Parent peakWhite Mesa[1]
Isolation1.76 mi (2.83 km) [1]
Coordinates36°36′16″N 110°55′36″W [2]
Geography
Square Butte
Location in Arizona
Square Butte
Square Butte (the United States)
LocationNavajo Reservation
Coconino County, Arizona, U.S.
Parent rangeColorado Plateau
Topo mapUSGS Square Butte
Geology
Age of rockJurassic
Type of rockEntrada Sandstone
  • From Highway 98, with Setting Red Rocks to right
  • Note exposed Carmel Formation

See also

References
  1. "Square Butte - 7,140' AZ". Lists of John. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  2. "Square Butte". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  3. William Bright, Native American Placenames of the Southwest, University of Oklahoma Press, 2013.
  4. Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11. ISSN 1027-5606.
  5. Donald L. Baars, A Traveler's Guide to the Geology of the Colorado Plateau, 2002, University of Utah Press, page 210.
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