Crested Butte

This article is about the mountain in Colorado. For the ski resort on the mountain, see Crested Butte Mountain Resort. For the nearby Town of Crested Butte, see Crested Butte, Colorado. For the nearby town of Mount Crested Butte, see Mount Crested Butte, Colorado.

Crested Butte is a prominent mountain summit in the Elk Mountains range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The 12,168-foot (3,709 m) peak is in Gunnison National Forest, 2.1 miles (3.4 km) northeast by east (bearing 59°) of the Town of Crested Butte in Gunnison County, Colorado, United States.^[1][2][3] Ski lifts and runs of the Crested Butte Mountain Resort occupy the north side of the mountain.

Crested Butte
Crested Butte from the north
Highest point
Elevation	12,168 ft (3,709 m)[1][2]
Prominence	2,582 ft (787 m)[2]
Isolation	4.65 mi (7.48 km)[2]
Listing	Colorado prominent summits
Coordinates	38°53′00″N 106°56′37″W[3]
Geography
Crested Butte Colorado
Location	Gunnison County, Colorado, U.S.[3]
Parent range	Elk Mountains[2]
Topo map(s)	USGS 7.5' topographic map Gothic, Colorado[3]
Climbing
Easiest route	hike

Climate

The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for Crested Butte is "Dfc" which is continental subarctic. This climate type is dominated by the winter season with a long, bitterly cold period of minimal daylight hours, heavy snowfall and low humidity. The annual snowfall average is 198.4 inches (504 cm) with January recording the highest average snowfall at 40 inches (100 cm). July is the warmest month with an average temperature of 57.2 °F (14.0 °C) while January is the coldest month with an average temperature of 11.8 °F (−11.2 °C). The average temperature for the year is 34.7 °F (1.5 °C).^[4]

Climate data for Crested Butte (Mountain) 38.8860 N, 106.9445 W, Elevation: 11,696 ft (3,565 m) (1991–2020 normals)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	27.0 (−2.8)	27.1 (−2.7)	33.3 (0.7)	39.2 (4.0)	48.1 (8.9)	60.2 (15.7)	65.1 (18.4)	63.4 (17.4)	56.7 (13.7)	45.3 (7.4)	33.8 (1.0)	27.0 (−2.8)	43.9 (6.6)
Daily mean °F (°C)	16.0 (−8.9)	15.8 (−9.0)	21.2 (−6.0)	26.5 (−3.1)	35.5 (1.9)	46.5 (8.1)	52.0 (11.1)	50.5 (10.3)	43.9 (6.6)	33.3 (0.7)	23.2 (−4.9)	16.3 (−8.7)	31.7 (−0.2)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	5.0 (−15.0)	4.4 (−15.3)	9.0 (−12.8)	13.8 (−10.1)	22.8 (−5.1)	32.8 (0.4)	38.8 (3.8)	37.6 (3.1)	31.1 (−0.5)	21.3 (−5.9)	12.5 (−10.8)	5.7 (−14.6)	19.6 (−6.9)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	3.09 (78)	3.06 (78)	2.71 (69)	2.58 (66)	2.04 (52)	0.89 (23)	1.93 (49)	1.94 (49)	2.01 (51)	2.04 (52)	2.63 (67)	3.01 (76)	27.93 (710)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	61.10 (155.2)	62.60 (159.0)	49.30 (125.2)	46.70 (118.6)	31.10 (79.0)	2.50 (6.4)	0.00 (0.00)	0.00 (0.00)	3.20 (8.1)	25.70 (65.3)	41.10 (104.4)	65.70 (166.9)	389 (988.1)
Source 1: PRISM Climate Group[5]
Source 2: NOAA (snowfall)[6]

Geology

Crested Butte is a laccolith rather than a true butte, formed when magma intruded into Mancos Shale approximately 30 million years ago. Subsequently the softer, overlying sedimentary rock has eroded away, exposing the more resistant igneous rock. The bulk of Crested Butte is composed of quartz monzonite porphyry and granodiorite porphyry. The lower slopes consist of Mancos Shale overlain with debris from the granitic slopes above. The Mancos Shale at the base of Crested Butte can be an unstable substrate for building and result in geologic hazards such as landslides and earthflows.^[7][8]

Crested Butte is one of over a dozen laccoliths in the Elk and adjacent West Elk Mountains. The magma intrusions associated with these laccoliths resulted in contact metamorphism of the surrounding sedimentary rock and mineralization. The metamorphism also altered the bituminous coal present in the sedimentary rock into a higher quality coal, including anthracite, which was mined extensively in the Crested Butte area during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.^[9]

Gallery

• 
  Crested Butte viewed from Meridian Lake
• 
  Crested Butte and the town of Crested Butte
• 
  Geologic cross section of Crested Butte

See also

• Geology portal
• Geography portal
• North America portal
• United States portal
• Colorado portal
• Mountains portal

• List of Colorado mountain ranges
• List of Colorado mountain summits
  • List of the most prominent summits of Colorado
• List of Colorado county high points