The Metolius River's basin sustains a wide array of plant life, large and small mammals, and more than 80 bird species.

The duration of the eruptions that built the volcano remains unclear, though the activity likely coincided with large-scale block faulting in the vicinity of the Metolius Springs.

Despite having a well-preserved, symmetrical shape and an unexposed pyroclastic core, the butte has undergone moderate erosion, with shallow ravines, deep gullies on its sides, and rocks with weathering rinds.

[9] The U.S. National Geodetic Survey report describes Black Butte as a "very prominent" mountain;[1] it is an imposing feature and landmark in the Deschutes Valley because of its dark color and symmetry.

[8] Part of the Cascade volcanic arc in the northwestern United States, it lies within a rain shadow[4] about 6.2 miles (10 km) to the east of the major mountain range.

Bubbling out at a temperature of 48 °F (9 °C), the springs merge to form the headwaters of the Metolius River, generating a total flow of 45,000 to 50,000 US gallons per minute (170,000 to 190,000 L/min) over the course of each year.

The glaciers formed glacial troughs, deposited moraines, and moved sand and gravel along with volcanic ash and cinders to cover the Metolius Valley floor.

Black Butte Swamp and Glaze Meadow were likely formerly shallow lakes, though they now serve as sumps for streams and drainages from the Cascades,[15] which are located to the southwest.

[17] In modern times, the Metolius Valley consists of glacial outwash, lava strata, and stream sediment, which together act as a sponge for snow and rain water percolating into the river basin.

[20] Black Butte was found to have a shorter growing season and less favorable winter temperatures for photosynthesis at its forest sites than study areas in the Western Cascade Province.

[26] Every May native plants and wildflowers appear, including early blue violets, larkspur, serviceberry, Sitka valerian, and western buttercups.

[6] The fault's steep escarpment contains exposed, alternating layers of basaltic andesite, breccia, and agglomerate from shield volcanoes, which mark the oldest rocks in the area.

[31] Black Butte has undergone mild erosion,[5] with shallow ravines on its slopes,[15] deep gullies on its sides, and rocks with weathering rinds.

[7] Black Butte's composition is characteristic for the High Cascades, consisting of light to dark gray basaltic andesite rock with a fine to medium grain.

The flanks of the volcano display outcrops of the lava, which are blocky and mixed with zones of breccia, suggesting the flows were slow-moving and were erupted from a central vent.

[15] Large-scale block faulting in the vicinity of the Metolius Springs could have coincided with the beginning of volcanic activity in the High Cascades,[6] which gradually progressed from building shield-shaped edifices to more violent eruptions.

[14] Sherrod and his associates described an ancient basaltic andesite deposit from the Pleistocene, which displays reverse polarity and is older than 0.78 million years.

This deposit includes lava flows from Black Butte, which are slightly to moderately porphyritic in texture and exhibit 5–10 percent plagioclase phenocrysts, about 0.039 to 0.079 inches (1 to 2 mm) in length.

[5] Sherrod et al. also described two previously identified, reverse-polarized basaltic andesite lava deposits at Black Butte, with ages of 0.46 ± 0.30 and 0.48 ± 0.2 million years, respectively.

[4] However, some eruptive activity has continued in the High Cascades; there is one lava flow in the McKenzie Pass area to the west of Black Butte, which is only 1,500 years old.

[30] Fire lookout staff used the station to cook and sleep before it was condemned in 2014 and burned down in 2016 by the United States Forest Service, who released a statement that it "was ineligible for preservation as a historical structure both in time and because of improvements made.

[30] The land around Black Butte and the Metolius Springs is managed by the United States Forest Service, which has constructed a parking lot, trail, and viewpoint for the area.

[11] Black Butte Ranch, which lies in Deschutes County[44] within Deschutes National Forest,[45] is a resort community that encompasses 1,800 acres (7.3 km2) and offers recreational activities including horseback riding, biking, hiking, canoeing, kayaking, and paddleboarding; during the winter, the resort activities include Nordic skiing and snowshoeing.