By editor
Park County, Wyoming (Beartooth Plateau)
Rising above the alpine tundra of the Beartooth Plateau, Beartooth Butte is a visual textbook of deep time. At the base of the butte, the Cambrian Flathead Sandstone rests directly on top of the 2.7-billion-year-old granitic basement. This contact point represents a gap in the geologic record of more than two billion years, known as the Great Unconformity.
Visitor Access
The butte sits on public National Forest land just off the Beartooth Highway. Viewing the unconformity is free and spectacular. The highway is only open from late May to mid-October due to extreme snow depths at the ten-thousand-foot elevation.