Tempe Butte

Tempe Butte is the official name of an andesite butte of volcanic origin, located partially on Arizona State University's Tempe campus in Tempe, Arizona. It is often referred to by locals as A Mountain, after the 60ft gold-painted letter 'A' near the top. Another name for the area, used by the City of Tempe, is Hayden Butte.The highest point of Tempe Butte stands at 1398ft in elevation, while its base is at approximately in elevation.Tempe Butte is most often seen as the backdrop to games held in Sun Devil Stadium, including until recently the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, as well as Super Bowl XXX.GeographyOriginally, Tempe Butte was part of a series of horizontal layers, but the strata has been tilted associated with the formation of South Mountain, and millennia of erosion has created the distinctive hogback of resistant andesite, over sedimentary deposits and rhyolite beds.Despite intensive development, the butte and its immediate surroundings continue to support a variety of native vegetation, including saguaro, Buckhorn Cholla, barrel cactus, creosote bush, palo verde, and mesquite. Native wildlife include jackrabbits, and small desert-adapted species such as pack rats.