![]() |
The size and shapes of these rocks is nothing short of astonishingly amazing. The big boulder with the window below it is the one that caught my attention this time.
The rock piles are the result of millions of years of weathering and erosion processes that began when the region was wetter and cooler. First, columns of rock called monzogranite formed when the Earth's crust was taking shape and cooling. Next, erosion formed fractures, or joints, in the monzogranite. Water eventually worked into the joints, changing some of the hard rock into soft clay. Finally, a changing climate brought flash floods that swept away the clay, leaving behind the rounded towers of monzogranite seen today.
The rock piles are the result of millions of years of weathering and erosion processes that began when the region was wetter and cooler. First, columns of rock called monzogranite formed when the Earth's crust was taking shape and cooling. Next, erosion formed fractures, or joints, in the monzogranite. Water eventually worked into the joints, changing some of the hard rock into soft clay. Finally, a changing climate brought flash floods that swept away the clay, leaving behind the rounded towers of monzogranite seen today.