Gold Butte (Montana)

Gold Butte
Northwest aspect
Highest point
Elevation	6,512 ft (1,985 m)[1][2]
Prominence	2,342 ft (714 m)[2]
Parent peak	Mount Royal (6,914 ft)[2]
Isolation	9.17 mi (14.76 km)[2]
Coordinates	48°50′53″N 111°22′30″W[3]
Geography
Gold Butte Location in Montana Show map of Montana Gold Butte Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Montana
County	Toole
Parent range	Sweet Grass Hills[1]
Topo map	USGS Grassy Butte
Geology
Rock age	Eocene
Mountain type	Laccolith
Climbing
Easiest route	class 2

Gold Butte is a 6,512-foot (1,985-metre) mountain summit located in Toole County, Montana, United States.[3]

Description

Gold Butte is part of the Sweet Grass Hills and ranks as the fourth-highest peak in the range,[1] and second-highest in the county.[2] It is situated 32 miles (51 km) northeast of Shelby, Montana, and 10 miles (16 km) south of the Canada–United States border, on land administered by the Bureau of Land Management.[4] Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains south to the Marias River and north to the Milk River.[1] Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises over 2,400 feet (730 meters) above the surrounding plains in less than two miles.

Gold Butte

Geology

Gold Butte is an exposed laccolith composed of diorite porphyry which was created by an igneous intrusion through older Cretaceous sedimentary rocks during the Eocene, about 50 million years ago.[4][5] Dikes and sills radiate across the conical mass. Over time, erosion of the sedimentary rock has exposed the solidified laccolith which is more resistant to weathering. Minor amounts of gold and silver were produced by placer mining in a gulch on the north slope during the late-19th and early-20th centuries.[4] The yield was likely less than 2,000 ounces of gold.[5]

History

The Sweet Grass Hills are sacred to the Blackfoot and other tribes.[6] Mountain Chief, Calf Tail, and Bull Lodge experienced their respective vision quests on Gold Butte.[5] The ghost town of "Gold Butte" was a gold-mining camp located on the mountain's northwest slope after gold was discovered here in 1884.[7][8] The landform's toponym has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names.[3]

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Gold Butte is located in a semi-arid climate zone with long, cold, dry winters and hot summers with cool nights.[5][9] Winter temperatures can drop below −10 °F with wind chill factors below −30 °F.

See also

• West Butte
• List of mountains in Montana
• Mountains portal

References

1. "Gold Butte, Montana". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
2. "Gold Butte - 6,512' MT". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
3. "Gold Butte". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
4. Sweet Grass Hills, blm.gov, Retrieved 2023-07-22.
5. Sweet Grass Hills Resource(s) Management Plan (RMP) Amendment and West HiLine Resource(s) Management Plan (RMP), Toole County, Liberty County: Environmental Impact Statement, 1996, p. 13, 19.
6. Rich Aarstad, Montana Place Names from Alzada to Zortman, Montana Historical Society, 2009, ISBN 9780975919613, p. 259.
7. Jerry Grant (2020), Grants Mining Districts of the Western United States: Volume 2, Xlibris Corporation, ISBN 9781664149021
8. "Gold Butte". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
9. 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.

External links

• Weather forecast: Gold Butte