Cly Butte

Cly Butte
Cly Butte
	Soutwest aspect
Highest point
Elevation	5,820 ft (1,774 m)
Prominence	520 ft (158 m)
Parent peak	Camel Butte (5,847 ft)
Isolation	0.49 mi (0.79 km)
Coordinates	36°57′17″N 110°04′08″W / 36.9546015°N 110.0689360°W
Geography
	Cly Butte Location in Arizona Cly Butte Cly Butte (the United States)
Location	Monument Valley; Navajo County, Arizona, U.S.
Parent range	Colorado Plateau
Topo map	USGS Mitten Buttes
Geology
Rock age	Permian
Mountain type	Butte
Rock type	Sandstone

Cly Butte is a 5,820-foot-elevation (1,774-meter) summit in Navajo County, Arizona, United States.

Description

Cly Butte is situated three miles (4.8 km) southeast of the Monument Valley visitor center on Navajo Nation land. Precipitation runoff from this butte's slopes drains to Gypsum Creek which is a tributary of the San Juan River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 600 feet (183 meters) above the surrounding terrain in 0.1 mile (0.16 km). The nearest higher neighbor is Camel Butte, 0.5 miles (0.80 km) to the west.^[2] The landform's toponym has been officially adopted by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names,^[3] and the name refers to a Navajo chief named Cly who is buried at the base of this butte.^[3]^[4]

Geology

Cly Butte is a butte composed of two principal strata. The bottom layer is slope-forming Organ Rock Shale and the upper stratum is cliff-forming De Chelly Sandstone. The rock was deposited during the Permian period. The buttes and mesas of Monument Valley are the result of the Organ Rock Shale being more easily eroded than the overlaying sandstone.^[5]

Climate

Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to visit Cly Butte. According to the Köppen climate classification system, it is located in a semi-arid climate zone with cold winters and hot summers. Summers average 54 days above 90 °F (32 °C) annually, and highs rarely exceed 100 °F (38 °C). Summer nights are comfortably cool, and temperatures drop quickly after sunset. Winters are cold, but daytime highs are usually above freezing. Winter temperatures below 0 °F (−18 °C) are uncommon, though possible. This desert climate receives less than 10 inches (250 millimeters) of annual rainfall, and snowfall is generally light during the winter.^[6]