What is the difference between bluff vs butte?
Do you know what they call those towering rock formations with steep sides or cliffs with broad faces?
Bluff is a word that most people are familiar with, as the act of bluffing. It’s a word that has a different meaning as a noun and that is what we will be discussing in this article.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, “bluff” is “a high steep bank, as by a river or the sea, or beside a ravine or plain, a cliff with a broad face”.
In contrast, a butte is an “isolated hill with steep sides and a flat top”. Buttes are towering flat-topped, steep-sided rocks that are mainly created due to erosion.
So, what differentiates bluffs from buttes? Keep reading to find out more about bluffs and buttes.
What Is a Bluff?
Bluff is a type of high steep bank rounded cliff, as by a river or the sea, or beside a ravine or plain. Natural, bluffs usually border beaches, rivers, or coastal areas.
Bluffs tend to form along rivers, especially where the river curves from side to side. They form as the river current on the outside of those curves erodes the soil.
River currents will cause the lower part of the river bank to wear away. As a result, the upper part of the river bank will break off, therefore creating a high wall of bluff.
Also, bluffs are formed along the wider floodplain of a river due to erosion. Studies show that meandering rivers slightly shift from side to side across their floodplain in thousands of years.
Bluff lines outline the outer limits of a river’s floodplain. Naturally, the floodplain of bluff lines can be narrow and steep, or wide and gentle.
An example of a bluff is the 150-metre Great River Bluffs in Minnesota, United States. The 500-foot Great River Bluffs are said to be carved by the meandering of the Mississippi River.
There is also the coastal bluff, which is usually formed by crashing waves, sea spray, and erosion from wind. Coastal bluffs are more rugged and more vulnerable to erosion.
Coastal bluffs are in the Puget Sound region of Washington state in the United States. These types are commonly referred to as feeder bluffs.
The beach ridge is another type of coastal bluff. These are usually formed on beaches by the waves lapping onshore, moving sands away from the sea.
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What Is Butte?
Buttes are towering flat-topped, steep-sided rocks that are mainly created due to erosion.
Before they became buttes, they were once part of elevated areas of flat land referred to as mesas or plateaus. The only feature that differentiates a mesa from a butte is the size.
According to reports from geographers, they consider buttes to be taller, whereas mesas are larger. Buttes form as streams flow slowly, cutting through a mesa or a plateau.
The flat top of buttes is known as the cap rock. The cap rock is the hard top layer of buttes, and it’s the part that resists weathering and erosion. Rainwater and wind slowly erode the softer rocks protecting the cap rock.
Naturally, buttes form in arid regions like the areas in the southwestern United States and Mexico. One of the places on the planet known for its buttes is the Monument Valley in Arizona and Utah.
The buttes of Monument Valley have served as an iconic location for many Hollywood films and television shows.
Bluff vs Butte: Difference and Comparison
Bluffs and buttes are unique landscapes in the world of topography. They are both prominent features, standing out as raised lands along rivers and in unique regions.
Bluffs tend to form along rivers, especially where the river curves from side to side. They form as the river current on the outside of those curves erodes the soil.
It’s easy to identify bluffs with their broad stiff face of rack or clay.
Also, bluffs are formed along the wider floodplain of a river due to erosion. Studies show that meandering rivers slightly shift from side to side across their floodplain in thousands of years.
In contrast, buttes are towering flat-topped, steep-sided rocks that are mainly created due to erosion.
According to reports from geographers, they consider buttes to be taller, whereas mesas are larger. Buttes form as streams flow slowly, cutting through a mesa or a plateau.
The beach ridge is a type of coastal bluff. These are usually formed on beaches by the waves lapping onshore, moving sands away from the sea.
The Indiana Dunes is an example of what is known as an extension of beach ridges. The Dunes are formed by the waters of Lake Michigan- one of the five Great Lakes in North America.
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Bluff vs Butte: More Difference between Bluff and Butte
Bluff lines outline the outer limits of a river’s floodplain. Naturally, the floodplain of bluff lines can be narrow and steep, or wide and gentle.
An example of a bluff is the 150-metre Great River Bluffs in Minnesota, United States. The 500-foot Great River Bluffs are said to be carved by the meandering of the Mississippi River.
Naturally, buttes form in arid regions like the areas in the southwestern United States and Mexico. One of the places on the planet known for its buttes is the Monument Valley in Arizona and Utah.
Bluff vs Butte: Comparison Chart
| Bluff | Butte | |
| Definition | A type of high steep bank rounded cliff, as by a river or the sea, or beside a ravine or plain. | Towering flat-topped, steep-sided rocks that are mainly created due to erosion. |
| Associated with water | Mainly found along water bodies | Not usually associated with water bodies |
| Size and shape | Longer horizontally, not too high | Taller than wider with a small flat top |
| Location | Commonly found along rivers and coasts | Commonly found in desert landscapes |
| Recreational use | Popular for hiking and scenic views | Attracts photographers and rock climbers |
| Ecological significance | Part of a diverse ecosystem | Distinct landmarks in deserts ecosystems |
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Bluff vs Butte: Examples of Sentences with Bluff and Butte
Let’s look at some examples of sentences with the word “bluff”.
Examples of Sentences with Bluff
- The cabin is on the bluff overlooking Lake Michigan.
- Micah turned and leaned his back against the bluff in order to regain his strength.
- The bluff fell away to rocks as the expedition crew watched from afar.
- He was exploring when he fell off the bluff.
- The case file reported that she fell off the bluff.
- The new major made a bluff about the opening of the town hall.
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Examples of Sentences with Butte
- The buttes in the desert are very unique and tall, rising to height and casting long shadows.
- Archaeologists believe that the butte formed over a million years ago.
- The indigenous people do not allow tourists to come close to the butte.
- The skydivers landed on the butte to thrill the crowd watching from the ground.
- Climbers were banned from climbing the butte due to safety concerns.
- An Air Force flight practice that flew too close to the butte.
Conclusion
Bluffs and buttes are unique landscapes in the world of topography. They are both prominent features, standing out as raised lands along rivers and in unique regions.
Bluffs tend to form along rivers, especially where the river curves from side to side. They form as the river current on the outside of those curves erodes the soil.
The cap rock is the hard top layer of buttes and it’s the part that resists weathering and erosion.
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