Western geology professor to deliver Pointed Laccolith Day lecture

Two years ago, the Crested Butte Town Council issued a proclamation declaring that the last Saturday of September is henceforth to be known as Pointed Laccolith Day. Since then, on or about that date, there has been a lecture on regional geology at the Crested Butte Heritage Museum.

This year, Western geology professor Amy Ellwein will deliver the Third Annual Pointed Laccolith Day Lecture, “Geomorphology: The Geology of the Landscapes You Love,” at the Crested Butte Heritage Museum on Friday, Sept. 25, at 6 p.m. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Pointed Laccolith Day stands in the great Crested Butte tradition of creative holidays. Not only is it the first event in any Colorado ski town devoted to celebrating geology, but it also strikes a blow for scientific truth, as there is no such thing as a “crested butte.” Buttes do not have crests. So let’s not pretend otherwise for at least one day a year. No, “Crested Butte” is a pointed laccolith, an igneous intrusion, and facts matter. In a confusing time, let’s at least try to keep that straight. Furthermore, while a laccolith is a mountain, a butte is not, as it is created by erosion, not uplift, which means that Mount Crested Butte and Crested Butte Mountain Resort have double oxymoron problems, something they will just have to address on their own.

At the first annual lecture in 2024, Western professor emeritus of geology Bruce Bartleson taught us about laccoliths, not only describing how such features come to be but also identifying the many that exist here in the valley. Last year, noted local hydrologist Rosemary Carroll gave a talk titled “Where Rivers Begin: How Snow, Forests and Rocks Shape Mountain Streamflow.”

Of her talk this year, Ellwein says, “If you’ve spent any time exploring the Gunnison Valley, you’ve been struck by the wide diversity of landscapes. Sure, maybe you don’t think of it in those terms, but you know the landscape around Blue Mesa is very different than the landscape (and plants!) around the Upper East River, Lake Irwin, Almont Triangle, Taylor Park and Cement Creek. But do you know WHY? The diversity in our gorgeous landscapes is a direct result of the extreme geodiversity in the Gunnison Valley. If you are curious to learn more, join us in a photo tour of some of our local landscapes through the lens of 1.7 billion years of geologic history.”

Ellwein knows as much about this subject as anyone alive. She is a research professor at Western Colorado University, where she studies the drivers and the record of landscape change in the Four Corners states. Her research focuses on producing records of the last 2 million years of landscape stability and instability resulting from changes in climate, tectonics, and ecology.

Before joining Western, Ellwein earned her doctorate in geology at the University of New Mexico. She has spent more than 30 years exploring landscape change recorded in lake sediments, sand dunes, and hillslope, river, glacial, and landslide deposits.

Ellwein is also an accomplished science communicator. She was the director of science communications for RMBL for almost 10 years, wrote “Geology Underfoot on Colorado’s Western Slope,” produced several audio tours of national parks, and often leads local geology tours.

Ellwein started doing geology in the Elk Range in 1994 — living out of her Jeep for many summers — and has lived in Crested Butte full time since 2010. She enjoys traveling, hiking, skiing, and exploring the backcountry and is currently serving on the board of the Valley Housing Fund.

“Welcome to Pointed Laccolith” bumper stickers and “Ski the Fractures” caps, absolute necessities for thoughtful alpine hipsters, will be available for recommended donations to defray the cost of the event.