The Monument sits on the remains of a massive volcanic eruption that rocked the area about 27 million years ago. When the nearby Turkey Creek Caldera blew, it blasted out huge amounts of white-hot ash that settled across the landscape. That ash eventually cooled and hardened into a thick layer of rhyolitic tuff—almost 2,000 feet of it. Over the ages, wind, rain, and time carved that hardened ash and pumice into the amazing rock formations you can see in the monument today.
Great idea to prevent bald spots
There are many different bids in the park
Amy on the trail
Massive stone columns—called hoodoos—cover the landscape here, shaped over hundreds of thousands of years by weathering and erosion. They began as multiple layers of hard and soft tuff laid down over millions of years. As the tuff cooled, it contracted and cracked, forming natural joints. Over time, the softer layers eroded more quickly than the harder ones, leaving behind the balanced rocks and dramatic formations you see today.
There several different species of lichen covering the rock
Another great day exploring
Great news. I was excused from jury duty. I do not have to drive 600 miles back to San Jose. 😀
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