Boars Tusk
| Boars Tusk | |
|---|---|
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 7,101 ft (2,164 m)[1] |
| Prominence | 397 ft (121 m)[1] |
| Coordinates | 41°57′46″N 109°11′50″W / 41.96278°N 109.19722°W[2] |
| Geography | |
Boars Tusk Location in Wyoming Boars Tusk Location in the United States | |
| Location | Sweetwater County, Wyoming, U.S. |
| Parent range | Leucite Hills |
| Topo map | USGS Boars Tusk |
Boars Tusk is an isolated remains of a volcano within the Rock Springs Uplift in the Green River Basin of southwestern Wyoming. It has a peak elevation of 7,101 ft (2,164 m) and rises some 400 ft (120 m) above the surrounding Killpecker Creek plain and lies 26.2 mi (42.2 km) north of Rock Springs. The north end of White Mountain lies 3.0 mi (4.8 km) to the west.[3][4]
Boars Tusk is an isolated remnant of a long extinct volcano associated with the Leucite Hills to the east. The area was active roughly 2.5 million years ago during the Early Pleistocene epoch. All that remains of the volcano is part of the erosion resistant volcanic neck which is composed of the uncommon volcanic rock lamproite, specifically a variety called Wyomingite.[5] Rock samples from Boars Tusk provided an age of 2.5 MA.[6]
Wyomingite is characterized by a mineral assembly of leucite, phlogopite mica, and diopside pyroxene, and is frequently found as a volcanic breccia—a rock composed of broken fragments of minerals or rock cemented together by a fine-grained matrix. Geochemically, these lamproites are mafic and are believed to have originated from deep within the Earth's mantle, possibly triggered by "fringe melting" associated with the Yellowstone Hotspot. This unique composition makes Boars Tusk and the neighboring Leucite Hills a site of significant interest for petrologists studying mantle enrichment and rare volcanic processes in North America.[7][8][9]
References
- ^ a b "Boars Tusk, Wyoming". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
- ^ "Boars Tusk". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
- ^ Lange, R.A.; Carmichael, I.S.E.; Hall, C.M. (2000). "40Ar/39Ar chronology of the Leucite Hills, Wyoming: eruption rates, erosion rates, and an evolving temperature structure of the underlying mantle". Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 174 (3–4): 329–340. doi:10.1016/S0012-821X(99)00271-9.
- ^ Boars Tusk, WY (Map). TopoQwest (United States Geological Survey Maps). Retrieved May 11, 2014.
- ^ Mindat locality
- ^ R. A. Lange et al., 40Ar/39Ar chronology of the Leucite Hills, Wyoming: eruption rates, erosion rates, and an evolving temperature structure of the underlying mantle, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 174, (2000), p. 334 PDF
- ^ Hausel, W. Dan (1998). Diamonds and Mantle Source Rocks in the Wyoming Craton with a Discussion of Other US Occurrences (PDF) (Report). Report of Investigations No. 53. Wyoming State Geological Survey. Retrieved January 11, 2026.
- ^ Highsmith, Carol M. (September 8, 2016). "Boar's Tusk, an isolated butte within the Rock Springs Uplift and part of the Leucite Hills volcanic field in Sweetwater County, Wyoming". Library of Congress. Retrieved January 11, 2026.
- ^ Willsey, Shawn (November 23, 2023). Boar's Tusk, Wyoming: An Odd Volcano. YouTube. Retrieved January 11, 2026.