NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Devils Tower National Monument

Devils Tower is a monolith (more technically, an igneous intrusion) or volcanic neck located near Hulett and Sundance in Crook County, northeastern Wyoming, above the Belle Fourche River. It rises dramatically 1267 feet (386 m) above the surrounding terrain. Located at 44°35′26″N, 104°42′56″W, the summit is 5112 feet (1558 m) above sea level. The World Conservation Union or International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ... A Natural Monument is a natural/cultural feature which is of outstanding or unique value because of its inherent rarity, representative of aesthetic qualities or cultural significance. ... Image File history File links Red_pog. ... Image File history File links US_Locator_Blank. ... Official language(s) English Capital Cheyenne Largest city Cheyenne Area Ranked 10th - Total 97,818 sq mi (253,348 kmÂ²) - Width 280 miles (450 km) - Length 360 miles (580 km) - % water 0. ... Gillette is a city in Campbell County, Wyoming, United States. ... September 24 is the 267th day of the year (268th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The National Park Service (NPS) is the United States federal agency that manages all National Parks, many National Monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations. ... A monolith is a geological or technological feature such as a mountain, consisting of a single massive stone or rock. ... Volcanic rock on North America Plutonic rock on North America Igneous rocks form when rock (magma) cools and solidifies, with or without crystallization, either below the surface as intrusive (plutonic) rocks or on the surface as extrusive (volcanic) rocks. ... Devils Tower, an igneous intrusion exposed when the surrounding softer rock eroded away. ... Volcanic plug near Rhumsiki, Far North Province, Cameroon A volcanic plug, also called a volcanic neck or lava neck, is a volcanic landform created when lava hardens within a vent on an active volcano. ... Hulett is a town located in Crook County, Wyoming. ... Sundance is a town located in Crook County, Wyoming. ... Buffalo on the range in Crook County, Wyoming Crook County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wyoming. ... Official language(s) English Capital Cheyenne Largest city Cheyenne Area Ranked 10th - Total 97,818 sq mi (253,348 kmÂ²) - Width 280 miles (450 km) - Length 360 miles (580 km) - % water 0. ... The Belle Fourche River The Belle Fourche River (prounced bel FYOOSH) is a tributary of the Cheyenne River, approximately 290 mi (467 km) long, in the U.S. states of Wyoming and South Dakota. ...

It is part of the first United States National Monument, established on September 24, 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt. 1347 acres (5.45 km²) are included within the Monument's boundaries. Navajo National Monument Devils Tower National Monument Statue of Liberty National Monument Fort Matanzas National Monument A National Monument is a protected area of the United States that is similar to a national park (specifically a U.S. National Park) except that the President of the United States can quickly... September 24 is the 267th day of the year (268th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. ...

In recent years about 1% of the Monument's 400,000 annual visitors climb Devils Tower. The monolith is featured prominently in the 1977 film Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Sport climbing is a style of rock climbing that relies on permanent anchors fixed to the rock, especially bolts, for protection. ... This article is about the film; for the a definition of the UFO related phenomenon, see Close encounter. ...

Name

Tribes including the Arapaho, Crow, Cheyenne, Kiowa, Lakota, and Shoshone had cultural and geographical ties to the monolith before European and early American immigrants reached Wyoming. Their names for the monolith include: Aloft on a Rock (Kiowa), Bear's House (Cheyenne, Crow), Bear's Lair (Cheyenne, Crow), Bear's Lodge (Cheyenne, Lakota), Bear's Lodge Butte (Lakota), Bear's Tipi (Arapaho, Cheyenne), Tree Rock (Kiowa), and Grizzly Bear Lodge (Lakota). Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2100x1400, 981 KB) Summary Colin. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2100x1400, 981 KB) Summary Colin. ... Scabby Bull, Arapaho 1806 Arapaho camp, ca. ... The Crow, also called the Absaroka or ApsÃ¡alooke, are a tribe of Native Americans who historically lived in the Yellowstone river valley and now live on a reservation south of Billings, Montana. ... Cheyenne lodges with buffalo meat drying, 1870 For other uses, see Cheyenne (disambiguation). ... The Kiowa are a nation of Native Americans who lived mostly in the plains of west Texas, Oklahoma and eastern New Mexico at the time of the arrival of Europeans. ... Eddie Plenty Holes, a Sioux Indian photographed about 1899. ... Shoshone around their tipi, probably taken around 1890 Shoshone Indians at Ft. ...

The name Devils Tower probably originated in 1875 during an expedition led by Col. Dodge when his interpreter misinterpreted the name to mean Bad God's Tower. This was later shortened to Devils Tower. [1]

In 2005, a proposal to recognize these ties through the additional designation of the monolith as Bear Lodge National Historic Landmark met with opposition from Rep. Barbara Cubin, arguing that a "name change will harm the tourist trade and bring economic hardship to area communities" [2].
Barbara Lynn Cubin (born November 30, 1946) is an American politician. ...

Geological history

Most of the landscape surrounding Devils Tower is composed of sedimentary rocks. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (849x566, 315 KB) Summary Belle Fourche River Description: Pinus ponderosa on dark red sandstone and maroon siltstone, interbedded with shale (not visible), along the Belle Fourche River Viewpoint location: Red Beds Trail 300 meters north of the Highway 110 bridge across... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (849x566, 315 KB) Summary Belle Fourche River Description: Pinus ponderosa on dark red sandstone and maroon siltstone, interbedded with shale (not visible), along the Belle Fourche River Viewpoint location: Red Beds Trail 300 meters north of the Highway 110 bridge across... Two types of sedimentary rock: limey shale overlaid by limestone. ...

The oldest rocks visible in Devils Tower National Monument were laid down in a shallow sea during the Triassic period, 225 to 195 million years ago. This dark red sandstone and maroon siltstone, interbedded with shale, can be seen along the Belle Fourche River. Oxidation of iron minerals causes the redness of the rocks. This rock layer is known as the Spearfish formation. The Triassic is a geologic period that extends from about 251 Â± 0. ... Red sandstone interior of Lower Antelope Canyon, Arizona, worn smooth due to erosion by flash flooding over millions of years Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-size mineral or rock grains. ... Siltstone Siltstone is a geological term for a sedimentary rock whose composition is intermediate in grain size between the coarser sandstone and the finer mudstone. ... Shale Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock whose original constituents were clays or muds. ... The Belle Fourche River The Belle Fourche River (prounced bel FYOOSH) is a tributary of the Cheyenne River, approximately 290 mi (467 km) long, in the U.S. states of Wyoming and South Dakota. ... The most fundamental reactions in chemistry are the redox processes. ...

Above the Spearfish formation is a thin band of white gypsum, called the Gypsum Spring Formation. This layer of gypsum was deposited during the Jurassic period, 195 to 136 million years ago. It has been suggested that Selenite be merged into this article or section. ... The Jurassic Period is a major unit of the geologic timescale that extends from about 199. ...

Created as sea levels and climates repeatedly changed, gray-green shales (deposited in low-oxygen environments such as marshes) were interbedded with fine-grained sandstones, limestones, and sometimes thin beds of red mudstone. This composition, called the Stockade Beaver member, is part of the Sundance formation. The Hulett Sandstone member, also part of the Sundance formation, is composed of yellow fine-grained sandstone. Resistant to weathering, it forms the nearly vertical cliffs which encircle the Tower itself.-1... Mudstone is a fine-grained sedimentary rock whose original constituents were clays or muds. ...

About 65 million years ago, during the Tertiary period, the Rocky Mountains and the Black Hills were uplifted. Molten magma rose through the crust, intruding into the already existing sedimentary rock layers. Tertiary geological time interval covers roughly the time span between the demise of the non-avian dinosaurs and beginning of the most recent Ice Age, approximately 65 million to 1. ... For individual mountains named Rocky Mountain, see Rocky Mountain (disambiguation). ... The Black Hills The Black Hills are a small, isolated mountain range rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and extending into Wyoming, USA. Set off from the main body of the Rocky Mountains, the region is something of a geological anomalyâ€”accurately described as... Magma is molten rock located beneath the surface of the Earth (or any other terrestrial planet), and which often collects in a magma chamber. ... Earth cutaway from core to exosphere. ...

Theories of formation

Geologists agree that Devils Tower was formed by the intrusion of igneous material. What they cannot agree upon is how, exactly, that process took place. Geologists Carpenter and Russell studied Devils Tower in the late 1800s and came to the conclusion that the Tower was indeed formed by an igneous intrusion. Later geologists searched for further explanations. Several geologists believe the molten rock comprising the Tower might not have surfaced; other researchers are convinced the tower is all that remains of what once was a large explosive volcano. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 400 Ã— 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1600 Ã— 2400 pixel, file size: 969 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Devils Tower National Monument, Wyoming, USA. Taken by Andrew Yool on the 4 September 2003 from a position slightly east of the Monument. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 400 Ã— 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1600 Ã— 2400 pixel, file size: 969 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Devils Tower National Monument, Wyoming, USA. Taken by Andrew Yool on the 4 September 2003 from a position slightly east of the Monument. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1704x2272, 1566 KB) Devils Tower Wyoming I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1704x2272, 1566 KB) Devils Tower Wyoming I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Devils Tower, an igneous intrusion exposed when the surrounding softer rock eroded away. ... Igneous rocks are formed when molten rock (magma) cools and solidifies, with or without crystallization, either below the surface as intrusive (plutonic) rocks or on the surface as extrusive (volcanic) rocks. ...

In 1907, scientists Darton and O'Hara decided that Devils Tower must be an eroded remnant of a laccolith. A laccolith is a large mass of igneous rock which is intruded through sedimentary rock beds but does not actually reach the surface, producing a rounded bulge in the sedimentary layers above. This theory was quite popular in the early 1900s since numerous studies had earlier been done on a number of laccoliths in the Southwest. A laccolith is an igneous intrusion (or concordant pluton) that has been injected between two layers of sedimentary rock. ...

Other theories have suggested that Devils Tower is a volcanic plug or that it is the neck of an extinct volcano. Presumably, if Devils Tower was a volcanic plug, any volcanics created by it--volcanic ash, lava flows, volcanic debris--would have been eroded away long ago. Some pyroclastic material of the same age as Devils Tower has been identified elsewhere in Wyoming. Volcanic plug near Rhumsiki, Far North Province, Cameroon A volcanic plug, also called a volcanic neck or lava neck, is a volcanic landform created when lava hardens within a vent on an active volcano. ...

Geologists agree that the igneous material intruded and then cooled as phonolite porphyry, a light to dark-gray or greenish-gray igneous trachyte rock with conspicuous crystals of white feldspar. As the lava cooled, hexagonal (and sometimes 4-, 5-, and 7-sided) columns formed. As the rock continued to cool, the vertical columns shrank horizontally in volume and cracks began to occur at 120 degree angles, generally forming compact 6-sided columns. (See also Devils Postpile National Monument and Giant's Causeway.) Porphyry is a very hard igneous rock consisting of large-grained crystals, such as feldspar or quartz, dispersed in a fine-grained feldspathic matrix or groundmass. ... A sample of trachyte Trachyte is an igneous, volcanic rock with an aphanitic to porphyritic texture. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... A regular hexagon. ... Basalt Basalt is an extrusive igneous rock, sometimes porphyritic, and is often both fine-grained and dense. ... The longer fragments of basalt at the base of the cliff can be larger than a person. ... This article or section includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ...

Until erosion began its relentless work, Devils Tower was not visible above the overlying sedimentary rocks. But the forces of erosion, particularly that of water, began to wear away the sandstones and shales. The much harder igneous rock survived the onslaught of erosional forces, and the gray columns of Devils Tower began to appear above the surrounding landscape. Severe soil erosion in a wheat field near Washington State University, USA. For erosion as an operation of Mathematical morphology, see Erosion (morphology) Erosion is displacement of solids (soil, mud, rock and other particles) by the agents of ocean currents, wind, water, or ice by downward or down-slope movement...

As rain and snow continue to erode the sedimentary rocks surrounding the Tower's base, and the Belle Fourche River carries away the debris, more of Devils Tower will be exposed. But at the same time, the Tower itself is slowly being eroded. Cracks that form the columns are subject to water and ice, becoming larger. Rocks are continually breaking off and falling from the steep walls. Seldom do entire columns fall, but on rare occasions they do. Piles of rubble--broken columns, boulders, small rocks, and stones--lie at the base of the Tower, indicating that it was, at some time in the past, larger than it is today.

Recent history

Fur trappers may have visited Devils Tower, but they left no written evidence of having done so. The first documented visitors were several members of Captain W. F. Raynold's Yellowstone Expedition who arrived in 1859. Sixteen years later, Colonel Richard I. Dodge led a U.S. Geological Survey party to the massive rock formation and coined the name Devils Tower. Recognizing its unique characteristics, Congress designated the area a U.S. forest reserve in 1892 and in 1906 Devils Tower became the nation's first national monument. All information signs and references use the name "Devils Tower". Yellowstone National Park is a U.S. National Park located in the states of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. ... InsertSLUTTY WHORESâ‰¤ non-formatted text here{| class=toccolours border=1 cellpadding=4 style=float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em; width: 20em; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%; clear: right; |+ United States Geological Survey |- |style= align=center colspan=2| [[Image:USGS logo. ... Congress in Joint Session. ... This article discusses national monuments in the context of the United States. ... A stop sign informs drivers to stop. ... For the thoroughbred, see Citation (horse). ...

If Colonel Dodge intended the name "Devils Tower" to refer to a single devil, then proper grammar would indicate that the monument be called "Devil's Tower". It has been said that the apostrophe was omitted due to a clerical error on early governmental papers, and the version without the apostrophe became its legal, and therefore official, name^{[citation needed]}. On the other hand, use of the plural "devils" may have been intended, either by Colonel Dodge or by the government agencies involved in establishing the monument; in which case there is no grammatical error in the name. For the topic in theoretical computer science, see Formal grammar Grammar is the study of rules governing the use of language. ...

On July 4, 1893, local rancher William Rogers became the first person to complete the climb after constructing a ladder of wooden pegs driven into cracks in the rock face. Technical rock climbing techniques were first used to ascend the Tower in 1937 when Fritz Wiessner reached the summit with a small party from the American Alpine Club. Today hundreds of climbers scale the sheer rock walls each summer; each lava column defines its own climbing routes, whose difficulties range from easy to some of the hardest in the world. On some routes the gap between columns is just narrow enough to bridge with stretched-out legs, so the climber ascends doing "the splits" all the way. All climbers must register with a park ranger before and after attempting a climb. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (849x566, 272 KB) Summary Devils Tower Description: Pinus ponderosa forest with Devils Tower behind Viewpoint location: Red Beds Trail near junction with Valley View Trail (location error along trail 500 meters), Devils Tower National Monument Lat/Long: 44. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (849x566, 272 KB) Summary Devils Tower Description: Pinus ponderosa forest with Devils Tower behind Viewpoint location: Red Beds Trail near junction with Valley View Trail (location error along trail 500 meters), Devils Tower National Monument Lat/Long: 44. ... Binomial name Pinus ponderosa Douglas ex C. Lawson Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa) is a widespread and very variable pine native to western North America. ... Image File history File links Devil's_tower. ... Image File history File links Devil's_tower. ... is the 185th day of the year (186th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1893 (MDCCCXCIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Fritz Wiessner (1900-1988) was a pioneer of free climbing . ... The American Alpine Club was founded in 1902 and is the leading national organization in the United States devoted to mountaineering, climbing, and the multitude of issues facing climbers. ... Southern and northern Mount Everest climbing routes as seen from the International Space Station. ...

Native American folklore

American Indian legends tell of six Sioux girls who were picking flowers when they were chased by bears. Feeling sorry for them, the Great Spirit raised the ground beneath the girls. The bears tried to climb the rock, but fell off, leaving their scratch marks on the sides. The Sioux (IPA ) are a Native American and First Nations people. ... The Great Spiritpoo is a conception of a supreme being prevalent among Native American and First Nations cultures. ...

Another version tells of how two Sioux boys wandered far from their village when Mato the bear, a huge creature that had claws the size of teepee poles, spotted them, and wanted to eat them for breakfast. He was almost upon them when the boys prayed to Wakan Tanka the Creator to help them. They rose up on a huge rock, while Mato tried to get up from every side, leaving huge scratch marks as he did. Finally, he sauntered off, disappointed and discouraged. Wanblee, the eagle, helped the boys off the rock and back to their village. The Sioux (IPA ) are a Native American and First Nations people. ... In Lakota traditions, Wakan Tanka is a term for The Great Spirit which resides in every thing, similar to many notions of God. ...

The Tower is sacred to several Native American Plains tribes, including the Lakota Sioux, Cheyenne and Kiowa. Because of this, many Indian leaders objected to climbers ascending the monument, as they felt this was a desecration. The climbers felt that they had a right to climb the Tower, since it is on federal land. A compromise was eventually reached with a voluntary climbing ban during the month of June when the tribes are conducting ceremonies around the monument. Climbers are asked, but not required, to stay off the Tower in June. According to the PBS documentary In Light of Reverence, approximately 85% of climbers honor the ban and voluntarily choose not to climb the Tower during the month of June. Though, several climbers along with the conservative Mountain States Legal Foundation sued the Park Service, claiming an inappropriate government entanglement with religion.[3] The Lakota (IPA: ) (also Lakhota, Teton, Titonwon) are a Native American tribe. ... Cheyenne lodges with buffalo meat drying, 1870 For other uses, see Cheyenne (disambiguation). ... The Kiowa are a nation of Native Americans who lived mostly in the plains of west Texas, Oklahoma and eastern New Mexico at the time of the arrival of Europeans. ...

Similar structures

Although the basaltic columns are impressive, they are not unique. Basalt columns are a common volcanic feature, and they occur on many scales (faster cooling produces smaller columns). Other notable sites include Fingal's Cave in Scotland, the Garni gorge in Armenia, the Cyclopean Isles near Sicily, Giant's Causeway in Ireland, Devils Postpile National Monument in California, Basalt Prisms in Hidalgo, Mexico, Organ Pipes National Park in Victoria (Australia), the "Organ Pipes" formation on Mount Cargill in New Zealand, Castellfollit de la roca in Catalonia and the "Columnar Cape" (Russian: Mis Stolbchaty) on Kunashir, the southernmost of the Kurile Islands in Russia. Entrance to Fingals cave, 2004 Entrance to Fingals cave, 1900 (Showing a lower tide) View from the depths of the cave with the island of Iona visible in the background, 2004 Fingals Cave is a sea-cave on the uninhabited island of Staffa, in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland... The Garni Gorge is situated 23 km east of Yerevan, Armenia, just below the village with the same name, and is carved out by where the Goght river runs through. ... The Cyclopean Isles, noted for their rows of basaltic columns piled one above another, lie off the eastern coast of Sicily, not far from Mount Etna. ... Sicily (Sicilia in Italian and Sicilian) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,708 kmÂ² (9,926 sq. ... This article or section includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... The longer fragments of basalt at the base of the cliff can be larger than a person. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Largest metro area Greater Los Angeles Area Ranked 3rd - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 kmÂ²) - Width 250 miles (400 km) - Length 770 miles (1,240 km) - % water 4. ... Hidalgo is a state in central Mexico, with an area of 20,502 kmÂ². In 2005 census the state had a population of some 2,345,514 people. ... Organ Pipes is a national park in Victoria (Australia), 23 km northwest of Melbourne. ... Slogan or Nickname: Garden State, The Place to Be Motto(s): Peace and Prosperity Other Australian states and territories Capital Melbourne Government Constitutional monarchy Governor David de Kretser Premier Steve Bracks (resigning effective 30th July 2007) (ALP) Federal representation - House seats 37 - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05... Mount Cargill and Buttars Peak seen from above North East Valley, Dunedin Mount Cargill is a 680 metre high volcanic outcrop which dominates the skyline of northern Dunedin, New Zealand. ... Anthem: Capital Barcelona Official language(s) Catalan,Spanish and Aranese. ... Kunashir Island (国後島:Kunashiri in Japanese, Кунашир (Kunashir) in Russian, Black Island in Ainu language), a southwestern island of the Kuril Islands, located in the Sakhalin Oblast of the Russian Federation. ... The Kuril Islands The Kuril Islands (Russian: Кури́льские острова́), also known as Kurile Islands, stretch northeast from Hokkaido, Japan, to Kamchatka, separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean. ...

In popular culture

The 1977 movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind has a plot device which revolves around the tower. The movie incorrectly notes the tower's coordinates as 40°36′10″N, 104°44′30″W. Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... This article is about the film; for the a definition of the UFO related phenomenon, see Close encounter. ...

Contents

Name

Geological history

Theories of formation

Recent history

Native American folklore

Similar structures

In popular culture

See also

External links

Contents

Name GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Geological history

Theories of formation

Recent history

Native American folklore

Similar structures

In popular culture

See also

External links

Name