Devils Tower is a steep body of igneous rock, which originated from the erosional remains of a volcanic neck. Devils tower is roughly 40 million years old, and was first proclaimed as a national monument in 1906 by president Theodore Roosevelt.
The theory of the formation of devils tower is believed by most scientist and geologist to be the hardened core of a once existing magma intrusion. This magma intrusion forced its way upward but did not reach the surface. It cooled and solidified underground into a hard, igneous rock called phonolite porphyry. When the magma cooled and solidified underground, the rock contracted and fractured into large vertical columns of 4, 5, 6 or even more sides. After the volcano's core hardedned it became an intruded plug. This intruded plug remained through millions of years of time while the earth surrounding it slowly eroded away, exposing this massive structure we know today. The rock that composes devils tower is called phonolite based on its mineral composition, which includes anorthoclase, aegirine-augite, and sphene. Phonolite is a fine-grained, light-coloured volcanic rock with a high content of the elements sodium and potassium. Its composition proclaims that the lava was fairly thick. A dark rock such as basalt is formed from thin lava that flows easily over the land surface once it erupts. After it has solidified, basalt forms a hard layer that usually resists erosion and remains as a flat plateau. Thick lava, on the other hand, tends to push into a massive clump and does not form a plateau.
The long columns are Phenomenal . Most are five-sided and range from 2 m or more at the base to 1.3 m at the top. Columnar jointing is most prominent in thick volcanic lava flows. It is clear from the length of the columns that the whole body of rock was once a single pool of lava, not a series of small flows, one on top of the other. The columns of devils tower sit perpendicular to the cooling surface. In this, instance devils tower was cooling from the top before the surface was eroded.
The name Devils Tower was first given to the Tower in 1875 by a scientific group lead by Colonel Richard I. People were sent to this area to look for gold, even though their presence was a violation of Indian treaty rights. General George Armstrong Custer had recently confirmed gold reports to the east (in the Black Hills of today's South Dakota and Wyoming), and unfortunately gold fever seemed to be a common rationalization for breaking treaties. The name Devils Tower is a translation of "Bad God's Tower," which was one name which Indians used for the area. This name reflected the fear which many Native Americans felt for the area.
Devils Tower is a steep body of igneous rock, which originated from the erosional remains of a volcanic neck. Devils tower is roughly 40 million years old, and was first proclaimed as a national monument in 1906 by president Theodore Roosevelt.
The theory of the formation of devils tower is believed by most scientist and geologist to be the hardened core of a once existing magma intrusion. This magma intrusion forced its way upward but did not reach the surface. It cooled and solidified underground into a hard, igneous rock called phonolite porphyry. When the magma cooled and solidified underground, the rock contracted and fractured into large vertical columns of 4, 5, 6 or even more sides. After the volcano's core hardedned it became an intruded plug. This intruded plug remained through millions of years of time while the earth surrounding it slowly eroded away, exposing this massive structure we know today. The rock that composes devils tower is called phonolite based on its mineral composition, which includes anorthoclase, aegirine-augite, and sphene. Phonolite is a fine-grained, light-coloured volcanic rock with a high content of the elements sodium and potassium. Its composition proclaims that the lava was fairly thick. A dark rock such as basalt is formed from thin lava that flows easily over the land surface once it erupts. After it has solidified, basalt forms a hard layer that usually resists erosion and remains as a flat plateau. Thick lava, on the other hand, tends to push into a massive clump and does not form a plateau.
The long columns are Phenomenal . Most are five-sided and range from 2 m or more at the base to 1.3 m at the top. Columnar jointing is most prominent in thick volcanic lava flows. It is clear from the length of the columns that the whole body of rock was once a single pool of lava, not a series of small flows, one on top of the other. The columns of devils tower sit perpendicular to the cooling surface. In this, instance devils tower was cooling from the top before the surface was eroded.
The name Devils Tower was first given to the Tower in 1875 by a scientific group lead by Colonel Richard I. People were sent to this area to look for gold, even though their presence was a violation of Indian treaty rights. General George Armstrong Custer had recently confirmed gold reports to the east (in the Black Hills of today's South Dakota and Wyoming), and unfortunately gold fever seemed to be a common rationalization for breaking treaties. The name Devils Tower is a translation of "Bad God's Tower," which was one name which Indians used for the area. This name reflected the fear which many Native Americans felt for the area.
