What’s that mountain doing there?

Devil's Tower is a mountain in the United States on a kilometre and a half above sea level, standing approximately 400 metres above the surrounding terrain. The devil’s tower appears in the eyes of the spectators as a large rock emerging from nowhere. What makes it so unusual is its practically flat surface and the unique vertical grooves at its side, so regular that the natives saw the scratches caused by a bear’s legs.

It looks like it's always been there and apparently it doesn't seem possible to give any explanation of how it was formed. After all, there is no anything around!

In fact, there is an explanation and science gives us that explanation. Before you figure it out, watch him take a minute to think about it 🙂.

The geologists have been studying it since the late 1800s and still continue to research the details of its formation. However, much of the Tower’s geological history has been outlined.

About 60 million years ago, a column of molten magma was pushed through the overlying sedimentary rocks and cooled while still underground. As it cooled it suffered a contraction that decreased its volume by breaking it into several columns.

Over millions of years erosion has done the rest, sweeping away the more crumbly layers of sedimentary rock, bringing out the devil’s tower.