Devil's Tower in Wyoming is an igneous intrusion, possibly an erosional remnant of a volcanic neck, composed of gray to greenish-gray rock—not basalt. It formed when magma solidified at a shallow level underground, and over tens of millions of years, erosion stripped away the surrounding softer rock, exposing what was once the buried volcanic core. What's now the top of the tower was indeed below ground level when it formed. This is a fascinating example of how geological forces reveal what's hidden beneath.
Devil's Tower exposed by catastrophic erosion of overlying rock
United KingdomGeneral
Site mentioned
Key facts
- Devil's Tower in Wyoming is a volcanic neck made of basalt
- The current top of the tower was once ground level when it formed
- All softer sedimentary rock in the region has been eroded away, exposing the volcanic core
- Massive amounts of material were removed over time by catastrophic geological processes
- The speaker notes many sites created by catastrophic events have 'devil' in their names
Sources
Devils Tower - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
Devils Tower ... For other uses, see Devil's Tower (disambiguation). Devils Tower (also known as Matȟó Thípila or Bear Lodge) is a laccolithic butte, composed of ...
Devils Tower N.M. | GeologyVirtualTripsgeologyvirtualtrips.com
Devils Tower, rising 867 ft. from its base, is a 50 million-year-old igneous intrusion composed of a gray to greenish gray rock with large crystals of white ...
Natural Wonders: Basalt Columns - Explorersweb »explorersweb.com
In North America, there's Devil Tower, Devil's Postpile in California, and Sheepeater Hills in Yellowstone National Park. Other examples are ...
Devils Tower - Volcano World - Oregon State Universityvolcano.oregonstate.edu
Devils Tower is a steep-sided igneous body and, possibly, an erosional remnant of a volcanic neck. It is made of magma that solidified at a shallow level.
Devils Tower, Mateo Tepe - IUGS-Geoheritage.orgiugs-geoheritage.org
An iconic and prominent igneous rock feature with the World´s largest example of columnar jointing. Mateo Tepe (Devils Tower) is an iconic geological feature ...
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