Little Sheep Mountain

Little Sheep Mountain's west face, viewed from Red Wing.

Little Sheep Mountain — elevation 9,616 feet — is a curious, somewhat solitary mountain located between Walsenburg and Gardner. It looks like a big chunk of cheese. It has a long, narrow peak with an extended, level ridge line. How did it form?

Examples of different types of  magma intrusions. Little Sheep Mountain corresponds to example number 1, on the left. (Image by Wikimedia Commons user Motilla).

The mountain if a fine example of a laccolith. This is a type of mountain formed deep underground when magma rises and fills a space between layers of sedimentary rock. Over time, the magma hardens and cools, and then eventually the mountain becomes exposed by erosion or uplift or both. This is how Little Sheep Mountain formed.

The east face of Little Sheep Mountain.

Much of the land on and surrounding the mountain is owned by the United States Bureau of Land Management. I've heard that sheep do indeed live around this and other mountains in the area, and they are pursued by mountain lions. 

I'd like to climb this mountain someday and walk along the top of it.