Devils Tower National Monument, a unique and striking geologic wonder steeped in Native American legend, is a modern-day national park and climbers’ challenge. Devils Tower sits across the state line in northeast Wyoming. The Tower is a solitary, stump-shaped granite formation that looms 1,267 feet above the tree-lined Belle Fourche River Valley, like a skyscraper in the country.
Once hidden below the earth’s surface, erosion has stripped away the softer rock layers revealing the Tower. What is devils tower.
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What is so special about Devils Tower?
A Sacred Landmark Devils Tower rises 1,267 feet (386 m) above the Belle Fourche River, and features the world’s largest example of columnar jointing. A sacred place to over 20 Native American tribes, the Tower is also known as Bear Lodge.
What is the story behind Devils Tower?
He explained: “The Indians called the Devils Tower “Bear’s Tipi” or “Bear Lodge,” because so many bears lived there. They believed it was put there by the Great Spirit for a special reason, because it was different from the other rocks, rising high up in the air, instead of being on the ground.
Is the Devils Tower a volcano?
Devils Tower is a steep-sided igneous body and, possibly, an erosional remnant of a volcanic neck [A volcanic plug, also called a volcanic neck or lava neck, is a volcanic object created when magma hardens within a vent on an active volcano]. It is made of magma that solidified at a shallow level (about 700 to 3,000 feet; 200 to 1000 m) below the surface.
What is Devils Tower made of?
We know that the Tower is formed of a rare igneous rock, phonolite porphyry, and is the largest example of columnar jointing in the world.
What is the mystery of Devils Tower?
In the Arapaho legend, a young girl is transformed into a bear and injures her sister while chasing her siblings. When her sister does not recover, “Bear-Girl” climbs to the top of Devils Tower, abandoning her family to keep them safe.
Why is it called Devils Tower?
Devils Tower Richard Dodge. In 1875, he commanded the military escort for a scientific expedition into the Black Hills. Keeping a journal during this expedition, Dodge wrote that “the Indians call this place ‘bad god’s tower,’ a name adopted with proper modification…” And so the label “Devil’s Tower” was created.
Has anyone been on top of Devils Tower?
At 11:18 am, June 28, 1937, the three men became the first to summit Devils Tower using traditional climbing techniques.
What is inside Devils Tower?
The simplest explanation is that Devils Tower is a stock—a small intrusive body formed by magma which cooled underground and was later exposed by erosion (Figure 1). In 1907, scientists Darton and O’Hara decided that Devils Tower must be an eroded remnant of a laccolith.
What is the true story of Devils Tower?
According to a Sioux legend, two young boys became lost trying to find their way home through the vast prairie. After some time, the boys realized that they were being followed, hunted by the ferocious and relentless Mato, an exceptionally giant bear!
what is devils tower, The stone pillar is about 1,000 feet in diameter at the bottom and 275 feet at the top and that makes it the premier rock climbing challenge in the Black Hills. Hikers enjoy the Monument’s trails. The 1.25-mile Tower Trail encircles the base. This self-guided hike offers close-up views of the forest and wildlife, not to mention spectacular views of the Tower itself.
The Red Beds Trail covers a much wider three-mile loop around the tower.
What is devils tower, This case study was written by Ellen Dockery, a lower division undergraduate student who is not an earth science major, as part of the DLESE Community Services Project: Integrating Research in Education. The pages in this case study reflect the personal views of the student author and not of MSU, SERC or the NSF.
