Devils Tower

Devils Tower Millennium ago, the elements exposed A magma-formed monolith protrusion; Nine hundred feet high without obstruction, On the rolling plains of Wyoming. Hexagonal columns of igneous rock, Gird the intrusion around; Where at the base scree accumulates, As pieces fall off the monument. Legend depicts a bear climbing the formation, In pursuit of children huddled on top, frightened, Columns etched in by the scrape of its claws As it fell off, and raptors carried the children to safety. *** Notes: Monolith: A ‘monolith’ is a geological outcrop of a single rock or stone. Igneous rock: ‘Igneous rock’ is formed from the cooling of magma or lava. As the magma that formed Devils Tower cooled, it condensed into columns. Most of the columns that make up Devils Tower are hexagonal (six-sided). The tower is 867 feet (264 meters) high with a flat top covering 1.5 acres (0.6 hectare). Scree: ‘Scree’ refers to rocks, boulders and, other debris accumulated at the base of cliffs or other tall rock formations. Devils Tower (Bear Lodge): ‘Devils Tower (aka Bear Lodge)’ is a laccolithic butte that was formed around 50 million years ago in an area north of Moorcroft, Wyoming, U.S.A. First Nations People considered the rock formation sacred. Devils Tower derived its name by an incorrect translation of the native name as “Bad God’s Tower” which eventually became “Devils Tower.” The missing apostrophe (Devil’s) was a clerical error.