Snake River Plain - Definition and Overview

Big Southern Butte

The Snake River Plain is a geological feature of (primarily) the American state of Idaho. It stretches 400 miles (650 km) westward from northwest of the state of Wyoming to the Idaho-Oregon border. The plain is a wide flat bow-shaped depression, and covers about a quarter of Idaho. Three major buttes dot the plain east of Arco, the largest being Big Southern Butte.

The Snake River Plain traces the path of a geologic hot spot now centered in Yellowstone National Park. Volcanos that once covered the hot spot formed the Island Park and Yellowstone Calderas.

Many of Idaho's major cities are in the Snake River Plain. Also much of its agricultural land lies there.

300px Aerial view of the Snake River Plain

400px Map of the Snake River Plain

External links and references

• volcano.und.nodak.edu on the Snake River Plain (http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/volc_images/north_america/yellowstone.html)
• isu.edu on the Snake River Plain — lots of info (http://imnh.isu.edu/digitalatlas/geo/snkrvpln/snkrvpln.htm)
• More (http://www.forwolves.org/ralph/wpages/splain.htm)