A group of disconnected natural sandstone dikes runs through Rockwall County, Texas. Horizontal bedding and vertical jointing give the sandstone its masonry-like appearance. Geologist Dr. Robert T. Hill investigated the formation in 1901 and concluded it was a natural clastic dike, not a man-made wall. A reconstruction stands outside the Rockwall County Courthouse.
Rockwall’s “wall” is a natural sandstone dike, not a 20-square-mile ancient enclosure
Site mentioned
📍 Rockwall
Key facts
- The formation is sandstone, not limestone, and its masonry-like appearance results from horizontal bedding and vertical jointing.
- It comprises disconnected sandstone dykes trending in many directions, not a continuous east-west wall enclosing a 19-square-mile rectangle.
- The cited sources do not substantiate the claimed 20-square-mile footprint, seven-story depth, or alignment with the sun’s path.
- Geologist Dr. Robert T. Hill investigated the formation in 1901 and concluded that it was a naturally formed sandstone, or clastic, dike.
- A reconstruction is displayed outside the Rockwall County Courthouse.
Sources
The Rock Wall | Rockwall County Historical Foundation & Museumrockwallcountymuseum.com
The rock wall is excavated under the direction of the county on land located near present-day FM. 549 and Cornelius Road.
The Rock Wall of Texas - Skeptoid Podcastskeptoid.com
This buried rock wall found throughout Rockwall County has people wondering about its origin.
Mysterious Rock Wall of Rockwall - Roadside Americaroadsideamerica.com
First uncovered in 1852, the rock wall that runs beneath this part of Texas was so baffling and well-known that both the county and town were named for it.
The Geomythology of the "Rock Wall" of Rockwall, Texasstorymaps.arcgis.com
The wall was determined in 1901 not to be an igneous occurrence, but a rare geologic formation known as a “clastic sand dike” by the geologist ...
The 'Rock Wall' Of Rockwall, Texas - CBS Newscbsnews.com
Beneath the city of Rockwall is a narrow row of hard mineral stones that appears to be stacked on top of one another, forming what looks a lot like a rock wall.
On the origin of the "rock wall" at Rockwall, Texas.1jstor.org
by LW Stephenson · 1927 · Cited by 6 — The combination of horizontal bedding and vertical jointing in the sandstone layers, gives to the dike its masonry-like appearance. The relatively thin clay ...
The Rock 'Wall' in Rockwall, Texas: Prehistoric Man, Extra ...texashillcountry.com
Dr. Robert T. Hill had concluded as far back as 1901 that the “wall” was, in fact, no more than a naturally formed sandstone dike.
The Rock Walls of Rockwall Countyicr.org
All the geologists had concluded that the walls were sandstone dikes, cracks filled in with sand squeezed up from below like toothpaste ...
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