Black Butte, seen from the Mount Jefferson Wilderness, Oregon.
It is an extinct volcano composed of basaltic andesite. The cone rises 3,076 feet (938 m) over the surrounding plateau. Black Butte is a striking feature just north of US Highway 20, which descends from the east flank of the Cascades. It is nearly symmetrical, with no marks of glaciation. Even though it is older than the High Cascades mountains visible to the west, which are heavily scoured by ice-age glacier activity, Black Butte receives less snow at its lower elevation and location east of the High Cascades. The headwaters of the Metolius River flow from Metolius Springs near the northern base of Black Butte. The spring flows at a consistent rate of 45,000 to 50,000 US gallons (170 to 190 m3) per minute.
In the local indigenous tongue, the mountain is called Turututu, but records show settlers calling it Black Butte as early as 1855.