The Ancient Volcano in Wyoming; Devils Tower

[@GeologyHub]

Today, Devils Tower can be visited within Devils Tower National Monument. I went to the area several years ago, and would recommend the experience.

[@chadatchison145]

I went there several years ago too, it was quite impressive. The geology is fascinating, it almost hurts knowing some people actually think it's an ancient tree stump.

[@Wildflower-xe8sn]

Devils postpile in California has similar hexagonal features and is in a beautiful area

[@andrewheynig2721]

how in what area of fluid study does a fluid form a hexagon shape and if it did hold that Shape long enough to solidify. Not just once but several hundred times going upward against gravity. If you can duplicate that I will believe it is a volcano lava flow of some kind.

[@tonymcquarrie908]

If you think that was ever a volcano you have lost your mind. But you’ll say it was millions of years ago, that is deep under the ocean under thousands of feet of water and none could ever see it happening Do some homework. There are other theories with better resolution than that. Open your minds people. This exists in other places on Earth with different strata and ridiculous explanations why each is exactly the same but different. Which lie to believe.

[@MrTwige]

its a big tree stump!...lol biology buddy you are in the wrong field

[@nathanlindahl8336]

It’s pretty remarkable driving up to Devils Tower. It’s mostly flat around the area and you can see it from about 20 miles away and it feels like it’s not supposed to be there.

[@marktwain368]

Which is why Steven Spielberg chose it to film his epic, "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". It seems alien, just as you say.

[@davecooper3238]

@@marktwain368 It also appears in the comic si fi movie entitled Paul.

[@BrianEthridge-wk6hz]

Used to be at the bottom of a shallow ocean that went across the United States. Few million years it won't be there. It crumbles quite a bit actually.

[@skywiseobservations7118]

What's really cool is that you can make a perfect replica of this iconic landmark in your own home just from the use of a plate of mashed potatoes and a fork. Thanks Steven!

[@KaiserStormTracking]

Lol Forks make good tools to replicate the gaps where eroded columns used to be

[@w.p.fuller2574]

LOL

[@ugottabkidding...9942]

Doo-doo-doo - BOM-BAAAA!! ❤❤

[@skywiseobservations7118]

@@ugottabkidding...9942 👽🎶😳😂

[@skywiseobservations7118]

@irwinisidro 🤔🌳😉

[@annehaight9963]

I've been to Devil's Tower. It's even more impressive in context because the landscape surrounding it is mostly rolling plains. So you're driving along and crest a hill and suddenly there's this THING in the middle of the countryside. It's considered sacred by the local Indian tribes, and although it is not illegal to climb it, the tribes ask people not to.

[@marktwain368]

They know something, don't they? And like Dave Paulides says, any geographic feature named 'Devil...' is suspicious and sinister.

[@jefffinkbonner9551]

I had a very similar reaction to seeing it. It's just so sudden, stark, and... unnatural. Like it has absolutely no earthly business being there.

[@deanstackhouse8775]

Scott: I believe it's considered a "Power Center" as are many places around the world, Egypt's pyramids, Stonehenge, etc... It's Devil's Tower after all. Names can carry something of a curse...many of us believe...

[@annehaight9963]

@@deanstackhouse8775Well, the Indians don't call it Devil's Tower. The Indians call it Mato Tipila, which translates roughly as "Bear Lodge". Although the deity in question (the bear) is not considered a nice one.

[@deanstackhouse8775]

@@annehaight9963 Thanks Anne, for the info and response. I'd have to agree that bear is likely an angry one cuz when I broke down there at about 110° F. with a cat and dog on board, forest fires burning all around us (I was blessed with the breakdown having occurred where I was able to coast to the shade of the only tree for miles) to begin a year and a half homeless adventure. I am a bit surprised one of the townsfolk did not relay your useful trivia... Fare well Anne...

[@Hurricane0721]

My family and I went to Devils Tower a few years ago. Devils Tower is in a pretty isolated location, but it’s well worth the drive. I would highly recommend hiking the trail that circles the base of the tower. It’s a beautiful and very impressive hike.

[@gregcurl7367]

This looks like a giant petrified tree base to me. Truly magnificent!

[@danielmconnolly7]

@@BelieveOnJesus z God is going to make a new Heavens and a new Earth.

[@rayvenheath363]

Thats the myth according to some native tribes in the area. It raised the children up away from giant bears. Look it up. Its a beautiful story.

[@pcbbum9031]

@@danielmconnolly7 What is he going to do with the old heaven?

[@jaredhayward5760]

You see their is a big issue with that. Not even going into the fact its volcanic but looking at it from the perspective it may be a tree. Life as we know it is made to reproduce. Devils Tower is 867ft tall right now. The tallest tree in the world right now Hyperion stands 379.7ft. What makes this potential tree so special that its a one of a kind? Twice as tall as the largest tree discovered right now, and dont even get me started on width. I'm sure you have seen many trees in your life and know that none of them are anywhere near as wide as devils tower.

[@bobbybrown5217]

Yep, same here. A perspective that i love to believe✌️

[@raypurchase801]

I can't look at the images without hearing the five tones.

[@salexo9]

G, A, F, (octave lower) F, C

[@stephenwedderburn9307]

Lol, now I've read it 🤣I can hear it! So I'll have to go watch it again 🙄

[@ahuman8657]

Ray bloody Purchase!!!

[@thoruszwolf4153]

You must use the Force

[@raypurchase801]

@@ahuman8657 Is that you, Clem? (Anybody confused should search KZbin for "Ray bloody Purchase".)

[@stonew1927]

I camped there one cold winter night about 18 years ago. Got up early and walked around the base before anyone else was around. It's a wonderful geologic formation to behold....

[@DaveTexas]

Fascinating! I’ve had quite the interest in Devil’s Tower since I first saw Close Encounters in 1978 when I was 11 or 12. I even made a model of it out of chicken wire, papier-mâché, and modeling clay as a science fair project in middle school. I believe my diagrams of it were terribly wrong, just showing the magma column cooling inside a shield volcano that then eroded away. I’m glad to hear more accurate ideas about its formation!

[@theayatollahofrockandrollah]

I always found his obsession with the tower and it's shape fascinating in this movie. Especially him finally building a huge replica in his living room. It made even more of an impression on me as a kid than all the special effects in the movie combined. And the special effects were out of this world, so that's saying something. How cool that you made a model too.

[@lynnbell6353]

“Close Encounters” is an iconic classic film and one of my all-time personal favorites as well, but considering the actual size and shape of this geological formation, it would be completely impossible for the characters to climb Devil’s Tower and pop witness the landing of the Star Visitors!👽🛸✨

[@siegfriedkleinmartins7816]

ME TOO !!! The very first time I saw this movie, when I was 13 years old, I began almost obssessively to draw it , because of the movie and also the strange shape of it. Later , I have learned it was the petrified lava nucleous of a very old volcano. Greetings from Brasil

[@gumball466]

I once saw a pile of mashed potatoes on a plate that looked just like this.

[@DofGrace1]

Hahaha

[@damanyocum149]

damn you got that in before i did lolol 🤣😂

[@silverpurkat]

Is your alternate name Roy Neary? 🥴

[@babykosh5415]

came here for this

[@Mark_Demaline]

Thank you Ronald, i needed that.👏👏

[@mikeyoung9810]

Back in the late 80's we camped at the KOA there near Devil's tower. (Not sure it's still there though). Just as the sun started going down they showed Close Encounters of the 3rd kind on a wall of the building outside with the tower visible just to the right of the building. It was a very unique experience.

[@antijojo]

Been to the same KOA in the early 2000's

[@rogerclark1761]

I was there last week nice place great location. No campfires allowed because of the burn bans. Stayed in a camping cabin in the corner of the park next to the river. Lots of wild life, deer, elk, birds, and to,s of stars at night.

[@changeshifter4852]

Have done this twice. Kinda cool to see it on screen, turn your head slightly left, and see it in the background. Nice clean campground too 😉

[@icemancometh8679]

We were at a drive-in theater watching twister and there was lightning coming up behind us.

[@sherrygraham8650]

Been there, done that and would do it again. It really is a site to behold. We watched climbers go right up that thing when we were there. Do know if they still let people do that.

[@siegfriedkleinmartins7816]

Spielberg was a genius when linked this unique mountain to the 5 notes tune. You can't see it without remembering the music. Greetings from Brasil

[@paperclip9558]

The fact that the top of devils tower was once a ground level is terrifying.

[@GeologyHub]

Agreed! Erosion has stripped away much of the planet, making areas far lower in elevation than they once were.

[@bakarangerpinku]

GeologyHub And apparently buried other places lol (Egypt)

[@coryleblanc]

silly theory

[@SuperCatacata]

@@bakarangerpinku It's almost like there is limited matter on earth. Some places get buried. While others erode.

[@schlookie]

This will happen to the Himalayas one day, once they move away from the tectonic plates that are pushing them up

[@arcburn6340]

It is a strange thing to see in real life. I've passed by it a few times over the years and it's hard to take your eyes off of it. Fascinating.

[@okamijubei]

Like aliens are about to land there and the government or secret private organization meet the aliens as ambassadors?

[@shiningpecan6978]

@@okamijubei exactly. And then Dwayne is gonna have to take two kids up their that have superpowers

[@Farmer-bh3cg]

Seeing the beautiful pictures at 1:00 - 1:15 makes me look closely for discarded shipping cartons marked "ACME"...

[@PercivalBlakeney]

Meep, meep! 😋

[@Akira625]

And falling coyotes.

[@ytmndman]

For everyone who keeps insisting this is a giant tree stump, please explain: A. Why it has no growth rings. B. Why it has no root system. C. Why it is made of igneous rock and not petrified wood, which have completely different structures and compositions. Do you honestly think none of the geologists who have studied this formation can tell the difference?

[@Johnny_C137]

Anyone else unavoidably hear that tune from close encounters every time they see devil's tower?

[@stavivanackerson6563]

I think of how hot Terry Gar was.....

[@dave-yj9mc]

I hear AirWolf too.

[@mosessupposes2571]

Those of us who grew up around there were and are much more attached to the story about it’s part in the creation of the Pleiades. Hollywood can’t touch that 😎

[@RogueReplicant]

Okay, boomer

[@jus10lewissr]

I visited Devil's Tower several years ago and you really can't imagine how magnificent this thing really is until you're standing at the bottom of it. Pictures and video do it absolutely no justice. Tons of rock climbers were scaling it and many of them had hammocks set up, literally hanging off the side of it hundreds of feet up from the base. While seeing people hang from this enormous tower in flimsy little hammocks was a bit hard to stomach, it was definitely a great experience.

[@mariestevenson1630]

I e been to every national park in the country devil’s tower and yellow stone were my favorite

[@jus10lewissr]

@@mariestevenson1630 I haven't been to many but Yellowstone is definitely on the top of my priority list of parks to visit.

[@NondescriptMammal]

@@jus10lewissr It is a good choice for top priority, there are several excellent nat. parks, but Yellowstone is my favorite, have been there four times over the years, and it never disappoints. The geyser fields are just a small part of all there is to enjoy there... I have seen bison herds fording the river, a huge elk wandering through Madison campground at dawn, a herd of elk grazing at Mammoth springs, and just lazing around on the lawns right in the town. You can swim in the Firehole River, see Yellowstone lake, one of the grandest mountain lakes to be found, the picturesque "Grand Canyon" and waterfalls of the Yellowstone River... the list goes on and on, if you enjoy the wonders of nature.

[@NondescriptMammal]

btw If you get there and have the time to take the long way in, I definitely recommend the northeast entrance through Red Lodge Montana, it's a beautiful drive through the mountains, far more scenic than the other more traveled entries

[@jus10lewissr]

@@NondescriptMammal I'd seriously love to experience it!

[@thereminpitchknob4059]

Every 10,000 years or so one of the hexagonal columns drop away from the tower. You can see them at the base. There are also named climbing paths up the groves between the columns with remnants of old wooden ladders in some areas. The top has it's own mini ecosystem. There are hundreds of prairie dogs at the entrance. There is a place between there and Gillette where you can find fossilized sharks teeth where the giant ant mounds are. And there is another volcano remnant not near as big and symmetrical in the SW corner of WY called Boars Tusk. Yes, it kind of looks like one. Plus you have Yellowstone in the NW corner which is a must see.

[@mattbrew11]

Where should one stay if they want to come see this!

[@binderdundit228]

YOU SHOULD BE MY TOUR GUIDE.

[@Neotenico]

I'd also add the Bighorns. Some of the most beautiful mountains I've driven through and terribly underrated.

[@tonysurber9111]

I don't believe the hubbub about the Devils tower being volcanic. It's a petrified tree. Volcanoes don't look like that at all. It is factual to say that the entire Earth once had a completely different weather system. Axel heiberg island in the arctic circle still has unpetrified redwood trees which were frozen. Yet absolutely nothing grows there today. Look it up. Truth is stranger than fiction.

[@spielverderberlindings5151]

There is a similar Rock "Tower" in Germany called the "Hohentwiel". In the medieval ages people even built a castle on top. It's said the mountain was eroded by a glacier however.

[@loulou-zd1dz]

Devils causeway in Ireland, these silicon trees are everywhere.

[@sirclarkmarz]

This is BS everyone knows Richard Dreyfuss made it out of mashed potatoes

[@darcybrummett7004]

No, he made it out of chicken wire and dirt. Lol

[@davidjames252]

This makes me laugh, He does not know how this happened.

[@tr7198]

What the earth gets a pimple and its major news. A skin tag

[@satanofficial3902]

It's *SEXIST!!!* to say BS when she cows also go poopoo.

[@Adamcram]

I've been there lol

[@OzzMazz]

Walked around the base trail and enjoyed it immensely. Top spot!

[@Melody615199999]

This was the thing built for the movie Close Encounters of the First Kind back in 1977. It has held up really good.

[@joeylawn36111]

🤣

[@brucewilson1958]

I'm a 68 year old American man living in Iowa. About twenty years ago I rode out to this Sacred Monument on my motorcycle. I appreciate knowing more about how it was likely formed.

[@truthdrifter]

It's a tree not a volcano

[@ax.f-1256]

​@@truthdrifterit's a volcano no a tree. Stop that ridiculous B's 🙈

[@truthdrifter]

@@ax.f-1256 respect the opinions of others.

[@ax.f-1256]

@@truthdrifter nope. Not if it's a lie. It's no opinion, that is called *A LIE* plain and simple.

[@truthdrifter]

@@ax.f-1256 dude, volcanos don't appear out of nowhere, they form with molten rock aka lava and ash and other debris. There's no lava flow or bubble or any volcano caldera underneath or close by.

[@2101case]

I spent a day at the tower a while back. One of the highlight of my western road trip.

[@TheRealRedAce]

The island of Staffa, SW Scotland, has a similar form but rising from the sea and still retaining a cap of other rocks. The giant's causeway, Antrim Northern Ireland is linked to it and both have the same hexagonal construction.

[@fixpacifica]

There's a place in California called Devils Postpile that also has the hexagonal pilings.

[@GeologyHub]

@@fixpacifica devils postpile is related to the long valley supervolcano :)

[@IssuesWithMyTissues]

Columnar basalt

[@KaiserStormTracking]

@Andrew Hardingham Your not a geologist mate unlike him so hes know what hes doing cause he went to college just to be a geologist

[@KaiserStormTracking]

@Andrew Hardingham First im not gonna bother 2 its debunked the tower is in fact made of phonolite Your claims have no merit

[@user-Dr.]

We went and checked this out a number of years back on our three week western tour road trip with the kids, one of our most memorable and fun three weeks of our lives.

[@pkrmkn31]

nice

[@martinmcgimpsey9750]

Devils Tower is so cool! It almost looks like some gigantic ancient tree that was cut long ago! Awesome

[@kellydalstok8900]

Please DON’T say that. There are already too many halfwits out there that are convinced it’s a tree instead of volcanic rock.

[@thomasdrivas5317]

There's a ancient volcano in Australia called the Cerberean Caldera which underwent a super eruption 374 Mya, which in turn contributed to the Late Devonian Extinction event . Please do a video on this volcano I want to find out more about it .

[@dieseldog00]

Cmon man all you need is a five second youtube search; kzbin.info?search_query=cerberean+caldera+australia

[@trafficjon400]

@Martin Mcgimopsey Yes it was widest wildest tallest veggie left over from the ancient LAND OF THE GIANTS quadrillion years ago.

[@binderdundit228]

@@trafficjon400 I think it was 50 bazillion quintillion fricken pfizillion years ago man.

[@trafficjon400]

@@binderdundit228 Oh Man longer may be a month ya think ? well may 2 months longer than 🤔WHAT WAS THAT😆

[@trafficjon400]

@@binderdundit228 pfizillion is that a high number?😂

[@cdenver]

The Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland has the same hexagon shaped columns.

[@rickc2102]

Columnar basalt is best basalt.

[@DeanDangerousTDD7]

yea it does, thats interesting.

[@katherineheasley6196]

That's immediately what I thought of when they showed the hexagon columns.

[@stupitdog9686]

Yeah ... I don't believe this stupid "Theory" - I bet this was caused by some giants or somfing chucking rocks at each other - like in the "Giants Causeway" in Ireland !!

[@cdenver]

@@stupitdog9686 LOL! You are thinking of Lough Neagh in Ireland being pulled up and thrown to create the Isle of Man (in mythology)

[@darthg6505]

It really does look like a prehistoric tree stump, how cool!

[@righty-o3585]

Eh, it kinda looks like a tree stump, but it's not.

[@vandorenexotics6630]

This is from electrical discharge,.. NOT a volcano kzbin.info/www/bejne/kIulZWCAerpgm7M

[@unclefido6484]

Mud fossils University says it's a Giants foot. I think it's a tree as well, but I ain't Roger and have no data or expertise.

[@righty-o3585]

@@unclefido6484 it's not a tree

[@vandorenexotics6630]

@@unclefido6484 This is from electrical discharge,.. NOT a volcano kzbin.info/www/bejne/kIulZWCAerpgm7M

[@marilynaicardi1860]

It amazes me that science can get and understand the information going back for so many, many years. Thank you for your explanation. This is one of the wonders in our country I would love to visit!

[@michaelshackelford9823]

Immediately recognized it from Close encounters of the third kind! Great movie. 👍

[@conscience-commenter]

That is most interesting how a volcano can create a stone hexagon and a bee hive makes a similar shaped honeycomb one. It looks like a monolithic supersized redwood tree base.

[@johncampbell829]

It looks like a monolithic super sized tree because it actually is....Volcanos don't look like this...EVER!

[@RST-R-MODS]

@@johncampbell829 ,says the expert in vulcanos........explain then the vulcanic rocks.....

[@ivanh3202]

@@johncampbell829 very true sir

[@ivanh3202]

@@RST-R-MODS do some research, you'll be surprise.

[@simracer8142]

@@johncampbell829, it was a vulcano, deal whit kid...

[@kimm6589]

Can you expand on the geologic formation of the Black Hills (technically mountains) in South Dakota, which the Devils Tower is part of? I briefly learned about it when I was there, and I think it's super interesting, especially considering how it's like a isolated region in the middle of prairie land.

[@stevewhalen6973]

Thanks!

[@sixohtwo12]

Close encounters of the third kind

[@GeologyHub]

I knew this joke would come up :D. It was a good science fiction film.

[@sixohtwo12]

@@GeologyHub haha. One of my all time favorites

[@jeffgarrett2114]

Suddenly I feel the need to make miniature model of devil's tower in the middle of my house

[@fishingthelist4017]

Who else was drawing Devil's Tower before they ever saw Close Encounters?

[@richardmckinnon8791]

The soundtrack was up for an Academy Award. John Williams 1977 Star Wars 🏆

[@rickmessina5396]

Thank you. Oh, in the early 70’s I climbed it. What a view from on top…..

[@jellojiggle1]

Are you sure you werent "left" there atop it? 🤣

[@rickmessina5396]

@@jellojiggle1 my wife said I should have stayed.. ha….

[@briangraham367]

Did you find rings on top?

[@rickmessina5396]

@@briangraham367 nope old tin cans…..

[@anonymike8280]

Did you make it back down? Were there dinosaurs living on top of it? They don't tell us everything, you know.

[@21redsox21]

“It started cooling from the top down so it created hexagon shapes” like what sense does that make? At least explain why. Lol

[@pizzafrenzyman]

When a small segment of the lava flow begins to cool from the inside, it contracts, and it fractures as it does so. When cooling rates are fairly uniform, with the heat from the lava escaping at regular intervals, it contracts and fractures fairly evenly, leading to tall, well-developed, generally hexagonal basalt columns. The process of hexagons or other shapes is determined by the chemical compounds in the rock, finding the weakest molecular bond to break first.

[@antoniocobb9648]

And now you know.

[@antoniocobb9648]

@@pizzafrenzyman did you just make that up? Are you a Democrat?😆🇺🇸

[@pizzafrenzyman]

@@antoniocobb9648 No need for insults. I was there on the construction crew, and I had several conversations with the engineers during the project.

[@thephuntastics2920]

litterally all volcanos cool from top down ... but not many volcanos look like a tree stump and that doesnt change from how far or close you look at it.

[@billfeld5883]

It still is the most impressive landscape I've seen!!!!!❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@cmcer1995]

Geology/Rock Collecting has always been a fascination for me since I was a kid. I always thought the Devils Tower was a Volcanic Plug of some sort, but I did not know how it formed compared to others. Glad to hear your theory on how. Has this phenomenon with the hexagon shaped rock occurred elsewhere, it appears familiar? Thank you for the video, always interesting.

[@BlindSquirrel666]

There are hexagonal columns in lava flows on the North Shore of Lake Superior.

[@joanijiannine4096]

Giants Causeway in Ireland? has the same hexagonal columns..

[@joeeast439]

It's all over the place. It happens when basalt cools slowly forming the hexagon shaped patterns. It's called columnar basalt. It's rare to find it in a giant pile like this, but it's very common in areas with intrusive basalt formations that get exposed.

[@Aztesticals]

It can't be related as Pennsylvania hasn't ha volcanic activity in hundreds of millions of years fsr as I know. But in Eastern center state, on the plateau part of the Appalachian. There are small areas just like this except they are only like 100ftx,50ft in area at the biggest. Sometimes you just find like a dozen of these. Some spots they are protruding from the bottom of a cliffface. I wonder if they ate buried remnants of eruptions magnitudes older than here.

[@sheilakelly9116]

More hexagonal basalt can be found near Mamouth, CA

[@Emy53]

Those hexagon formations are phenomenal.

[@billyjackbuzzard]

So is your sister

[@thomasdeb2723]

There is similar towering columnar formation close to the "Chaine des Puys" volcanics complex in France and I was lucky to see massives collumnar basalts in Abitibi ( 2,677 Ma) and in Nunavik (1870 Ma ), all in Quebec, Canada. Still don't understand why peoples think that these are trees... You clearly can see that this is volcanics rocks.

[@GeologyHub]

Of course, most columnar jointing is propagated cooling of basalt. Typically there isn’t a complex related maar in the area. As for Chaine des Puys, that’s a volcanic system which is still active!

[@runs_through_the_forest]

hi, could you be more specific as to where those columnar formations are? i visited the area once, loved it very much and plan to go back one day, i'm from belgium so the trip is only a 7-8 hour drive.. and yeah funny to realize folks think devils tower was a huge tree, lot's of fantasy going on in their heads i guess..

[@jimmysenman4749]

Thomas Deb, you didn't understand why ppl think it is a tree stupm.. If some one have peanut size consciousness he or she will have peanut size understanding...

[@DuecedYT]

Something so unique, I definitely took it for granted growing up. Lived about 6 miles east of here!

[@cliffordbowman6777]

WOW! Lucky you.

[@deadgoon2170]

Would that process be similar to how "Giant's Causeway" was formed?.

[@simonjackson7269]

Same as the Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland and Fingals Cave on the Isle of Staffa...

[@djolley61]

Visiting Devil's Tower some years ago I noticed several similar, but smaller "towers" before we got to Devi's Tower itself.

[@briangraham367]

Old trees my friend. Be safe

[@Desrtfox71]

@@briangraham367 lol.

[@paulterl4563]

Other fossils trees. 😊

[@rickc2102]

Ffs, they're not trees, you absolute nitwits. When you see a cloud that looks like a lizard, do you point at it and say, omigod there are lizards in the sky? If you've spent time exploring basalt fields, you'll clearly identify the tower's composition.

[@RikkiTikkiTavi290]

@@briangraham367 I've been there and climbed it. Its not a tree.

[@PlayNowWorkLater]

Been learning about the Challis Lava formations, which formed quite differently than subduction arc volcanoes and hotspot derived volcanic vents. Devil’s tower is apparently pet of multiple volcanoes referred as part of the Challis formation. Apparently their geochemical signature is quite unique. Very interesting your theory about it being initiated by groundwater interacting with shallow magma

[@flashy5150]

“Close Encounters of the Third kind” - Richard Dreyfuss.

[@damiancentanni2773]

Great video! I took a geology class both in high school and college. Wonderfully described video with succinct terminology!

[@t.cotham3163]

A similar (but smaller) formation made of basalt can be seen at Mammoth, CA. It is called the Devil's Postpiles and they have the same hexagonal shape. Very interesting.

[@zennynrodrigues6766]

Might not be known to most. But there is a similar hill formation that is present in Mumbai, India. Smack bang in the middle of the city surrounded by buildings. Roughly 66 million years old

[@oscarmedina1303]

We have similar columnar basalt formations in Carlsbad, California, at the Calavera Hills volcano.

[@2trips850]

Very interesting place to visit but when you leave, if you are heading to get onto interstate 90 (25 miles to the south) be careful. Moorcroft, WY runs a speed trap and will ticket you if you are doing over 30 MPH as you cross the city outskirts. You need to be prepared to slow from 70 MPH to 30 MPH very quickly. They love their speed traps in much of Wyoming.

[@TheOfficialZombieWhisperer]

Remember "close encounters of the 3rd kind" some conspiracy theories call it a tree stump, um okay but it doesn't have tree rings, it's really cool there.

[@elizabethmorlan3972]

Have you looked from an aerial perspective?

[@TheOfficialZombieWhisperer]

@@elizabethmorlan3972 I've seen Mt St Helen's from above.

[@jamisojo]

​@@elizabethmorlan3972 there are photos and video online from above it.

[@eclecticjon1019]

Makes me feel like eating mashed potatoes.

[@connie7128]

This was so interesting to me. I often wondered about Devil's Tower. I assumed it was what was left after millions of years of weathering, and the specific type of rock was resistant enough to remain. I had a little bit right, but I never understood the complete history of the area and this imposing structure. Thank you! There is a reason geology was my favorite subject back in school.

[@vandorenexotics6630]

This is from electrical discharge,.. NOT a volcano kzbin.info/www/bejne/kIulZWCAerpgm7M

[@peterf.229]

Electrical discharge? Sorry but no, it’s volcanic rock. Magma creates lava . Lava/magma are created by heat and pressure underground .

[@vandorenexotics6630]

@@peterf.229 Negative,. I strongly suggest you at least review the information I mentioned so as to be able to comment back with an educated, informed perspective. Speaking from a predisposed bias is very short sighted.

[@robertmoir5695]

I find it interesting too Connie Perhaps I d like to learn more

[@robertmoir5695]

@@vandorenexotics6630 What are you talking about ?

[@russellleavitt4449]

What is really amazing is that this same type of rock called columnar basalt which has been used around the world for ancient construction of massive buildings above and below sea level.

[@davidarundel6187]

The coloms, when sliced across, would make excellent pavers, or, well fitting pieces of a stone wall, laid horozontaly.

[@nickandlaurihyde]

Good idea! By they way…. It’s spelled Columns.

[@peterf.229]

They are much bigger than you think

[@darryldee467]

It kind of looks like an ancient space elevator where is was cut off later.

[@Iambrendanjames]

My new hobby is looking forward to the daily videos describing various random volcanos from you. Thank you. I haven't seen the Columbia Plateau Basalt groups done yet?

[@GeologyHub]

I have yet to cover those flood basalts. I will eventually cover them. Despite how vast they are, they were unusually small for a flood basalt

[@ACHistory]

@@GeologyHub I noticed that too.

[@Name-ps9fx]

@@GeologyHub “Unusually small”...granted the WA state flow isn’t anywhere close to the size of the Siberian one...but it is about 1/4th the size of WA!! Several areas where one can drive next to TALL cliffs with the same pillar type rock formations!

[@tyrellnelson490]

50 million years old? Isn't that the same age as the Columbia flood basalt? Also heard the Yellowstone hotspot emerged 50 million years ago. Is this all coincidence?

[@Iambrendanjames]

@@tyrellnelson490 Basically it's all from the same system as the NA plate moved westward. There is a line of huge calderas from eastern oregon through the snake rive plain into wyoming where modern day yellowstone is. Nick Zetner has a lot of lectures on the topic. The hotspot magma was able to rise through old faults. Lots of info to out in a youtube comment but basically the falleron plate subducted under what we call the rockies and it got locked then a new subduction zone formed further west. Probably the same event geologyhub has covered as the cause of the huge rise in volcanism 50 mya till around 10 mya.

[@geraldwagner8739]

Every time I see this mountain that melody comes to my mind.

[@phoenixing]

Those hexagons look like when you leave sand or marbles on a base and vibration or sound (same thing) causes that substance to become hexagon shaped. So interesting! What a fabulous video thanks!

[@edc6333]

Yes I have seen experiments using sound waves to form various shapes using different frequencies. “If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.” ― Nikola Tesla

[@stewartmackay]

Interesting, thank you. We have similar hexagon shaped rocks in Scotland, at Fingals Cave, and of course over in Northern Ireland, at the giants causeway. Not a tower like this, but similar rock hexagons.

[@anjou6497]

Wow, yes.

[@johncampbell829]

WHICH ALSO, ARE JUST THE REMAINS OF TREES...Volcanos are common all through this realm...funny how this pattern is only found in a few places and then attributed to volcanos.

[@ejej6934]

I think I read that the columns of the Giant's Causeway and Fingal Cave are actually connected beneath the water of the North Channel, with hundreds or thousands more columns under the water. Does that sound correct to you?

[@ApeX-pj4mq]

@@johncampbell829 Funny how they are all made of VOLCANIC ROCK

[@ingehoffman7313]

Always been intrigued by this formation - thank you !!

[@green_tuber]

I love the way you use google earth so that we can not only hear things but we can see things ourselves.

[@X-OR_]

Dammit! I know this. I know what this is! This means something. This is important.

[@future8783]

What?

[@desireegriffin8473]

@X-OR Nice! Lol 😆

[@lynnmitzy1643]

👍🎵🎶🎵🎶🎵

[@cplcabs]

It means you need to buy some mash potato

[@makingnoise3931]

“Devil’s”? “Hexagon”? Mephisto confirmed!!

[@juansantiago6635]

That should be scarlet witches hide out lol

[@HalfPrime]

This has always been one of my favorite geological features on earth 🌍 💟

[@NGC-catseye]

It’s my second. I’m biased 🇦🇺 So Uluru it is for me.

[@LostCylon]

Near Melbourne, Australia, there is a an area called the Organ Pipes National Park, which has a large outcropping of hexagonal lava. It's just off the Calder Highway, and is a site I often visited in the past :)

[@AscendantStoic]

Looks like someone was messing with nature's "extrude" function XD

[@NewNormac]

Thank you for your content. Would love to see an episode on Table Rock in Oregon

[@jupiter2170]

I live near there and will be shooting a video on how they are tree stumps

[@dalethehardluckcowboy7852]

Native American's oral history say it used to be a giant tree when giants roamed the earth...

[@unitedspacepirates9075]

@@KaiserStormTracking incorrect. Your planet has doubled in diameter in the last 60 million years. Stone has been increasing in volume as your solar system drifts further from your galaxy's gravitational center. Petrified trees and dinosaur bones have been increasing in scale as well.

[@unitedspacepirates9075]

@@KaiserStormTracking if you doubt the information presented, build your own spacecraft capable of relativistic speeds and orbit the event horizon of a black hole for a while to combine general relativistic time dilation together with special relativistic time dilation to offset spatial divergence sufficiently for relative time to have a negative integer and travel back to see for yourself.

[@unitedspacepirates9075]

@@KaiserStormTracking Composition debate irrelevant.

[@Elkysium]

@@KaiserStormTracking Hexagonal structures require cells which means biological, not geological. Life creates hexagons.

[@Elkysium]

​@@unitedspacepirates9075 You don't live on a planet, you live on a motionless plane. I'll give you 3 clues to open your eyes. I have about 50+. 1. By pseudoscience, the Earth spins at 1,040mph and gets slower as you move towards the poles to 0mph. It also claims a circumference of 24,501 miles at the equator. A. 0mph at the poles, means no rotation at the center. B. Every single car/truck/bike/atv uses a linear measuring device which measures distances and speeds. These devices would fail on a surface that is changing speeds. Every single step north or south of your current position would place you on a surface moving faster or slower depending on your current position on Earth. C. How does 12,250.5 miles of Earth travel slower than 24,501 miles of Earth on the same spinning object? 2. By pseudoscience, the Earth has a molten liquid core of iron with a temperature of 10,800 degrees Fahrenheit. A. Iron turns to liquid at 2,800 degrees and turns into a gas at 5,200 degrees fahrehiet. B. Iron along with all of the elements lose complete magnetic ability at a fraction of the what science claims the core temperature is. C. Pressure you say? Doesn't apply. Pressure only comes into play when the material is compressible. When the material is not compressible then you have to deal with the weight of the material. Air is compressible, water is NOT. That is the only pressure the oceans play on what's below them. Now when you break water a part, you get oxygen and hydrogen which are both compressible on their own, but not compressible when combined into H2O. 3. Water. Water is literally magically. It is the only elemental composition that exists in more states than any other elemental composition on Earth. A. The ONLY places that water bends naturally at rest is at its meniscus which is the surface point in which water contacts a material that repels it. B. By a machinists standard the surface of water has a variance of .001 inch. Water is LEVEL, which means FLAT. It is so flat that you can forge on it with the right materials so you have a perfectly flat surface to work with. C. Its diamagnetic and electrostatic properties also prevent it from bending or curving at rest. Due to its electrostatic properties it turns into a ball in small quantities. Past that, globs. Past that, puddles. Past that, lakes, rivers, oceans, etc. Due to its diamagnetic properties, water would literally be pushed away from the Earth if there was as strong as magnetic field as what pseudoscience claims. Bonus: We can prove a problem with the globe model by the moon. A 3D object can not show the same face all over Earth and the ONLY motion that is witnessed is facial rotation. If there is facial rotation then there CAN NOT be any spinning. A person in the North should see a different face than a person in the South NOT a rotated image. The other part of the problem is its motion. It CAN NOT be spinning in unison with Earth or as fools like to say, tidally locked. On one side of Earth, the moon MUST travel faster than the opposite side which MUST travel slower in order to keep the same face pointing towards Earth and compensate for a 67k mph Earth orbit around the sun. This means that the faster it moves the faster it must spin just as the slower it moves the slower it must spin to keep this face pointing towards us. It also means that every single point along its trajectory would have its own unique timing. But we still haven't even addressed the elliptical orbits which really mess with the above. At apogee(farthest), it moves faster than at perigee(closest) which moves slower. You can't ignore the laws of motion just because it is inconvenient which the globe does on every single law we know to be fact. By pseudoscience, the moon travels consistently at 2,288 mph over a distance of 1,423,000 miles orbiting Earth...

[@KAL5370]

First time I ever heard of this place was Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind in theaters and have never forgotten it.

[@JohnDoe-jq5wy]

The "columnar" jointing is created by a high tier fluid magma that is cooled over a long period of time. The maga recipe (mineral make-up) will determine the cooling matrix. Very beautiful stuff.... This is common in the Columbia Plateau complex...Eastern Washington. Very fluid magma and in abundance and slow cooling allows the minerals to precipitate out to create the hex matrix

[@angrypossumsx1259]

Awesome :) I always thought Devil’s Tower was a Volcanic Plug remnant.

[@cplcabs]

It may well be...this is youtube don't forget, where nothing is what it seems.

[@anonymike8280]

How wrong you are. It's a mudfossil. The stump of a really, really big tree. Or maybe the foot of some half-mile tall creature.

[@j.muckafignotti4226]

My father, who was a mining engineer, called it a pluton.

[@anonymike8280]

@@j.muckafignotti4226 Mining engineers have to actually get something done.

[@jaredhayward5760]

@@anonymike8280 You see their is a big issue with that. Not even going into the fact its volcanic but looking at it from the perspective it may be a tree. Life as we know it is made to reproduce. Devils Tower is 867ft tall right now. The tallest tree in the world right now Hyperion stands 379.7ft. What makes this potential tree so special that its a one of a kind? Twice as tall as the largest tree discovered right now, and dont even get me started on width. I'm sure you have seen many trees in your life and know that none of them are anywhere near as wide as devils tower.

[@markmcarthy596]

Buford Mountain is Missouri’s ancient/dormant volcano. There’s talk of “waking “ and sulfur smells recently. Nice channel

[@ACHistory]

Missouri's most impressive ancient volcano in my opinion is Hicks Dome.

[@markmcarthy596]

@@ACHistory -Isn’t Hicks Dome in Illinois?

[@ACHistory]

@@markmcarthy596 It is - I forgot :P

[@markmcarthy596]

@@ACHistory - Anything around the 38th parallel in IL or MO has something going on! Have collected some Crazy geologic samples through the years on/in it

[@ACHistory]

@@markmcarthy596 Yeah - some people claim there are extinct volcanoes near the Ozark Mountains and others by the Cahokia Mounds.

[@keithroy9217]

A spectacular cousin to the Giant’s Causeway in Ireland and Fingal’s Cave in Scotland. Beautiful formation!

[@red_five1542]

Blaaa.. It is a basalt formation and is typical of volcanic basalt. The crack patterns propagate at about 120 degrees which terminate across each other to form hexagons.

[@KaiserStormTracking]

It is however the lava type that this formed from is the same as Mount Erebus's lava lake which is Phonolite

[@smoothjamskillmoure]

Red five, why though? do we know why is goes at 120°, is it a chemical process or magnetism or something? I know there's so many different natural patterns that occur, but these hexagon patterns always seem too weird, almost manufactured, like some giant bees made a nest or something

[@red_five1542]

@@smoothjamskillmoure it seems organized but it's really just random. When a species of bee builds a nest all the nest built by that species look the same. You will find that lava formations though similar no two are exactly alike.

[@Ash2theB]

If anyone want to know why the Hexagon. Hexagons are Natures default shape. “Six of them join to form hexagonal ‘rings’, sometimes with a carbon atom replaced by that of another element. They’re found in many familiar biochemicals such as vanillin (vanilla), benzene, sugars, amino acids and even DNA.”

[@jayachandran.a]

And bees make hexagonal hives.

[@Braxton1981]

And hexagons make hiveonal bees

[@headlessspaceman5681]

"Everything tries to be round." -Black Elk

[@darkbread6401]

Damn that's a big tree

[@AWMul]

One the best tree stumps going ! Nice

[@cweefy]

There are human beings who actually think that the devil's tower is a tree stump

[@riverdelta7052]

And some of them are arguing right here in the comments of this video

[@headlessspaceman5681]

There are human beings who actually think chocolate milk comes from a different kind of cow.

[@dirkstarbuck6126]

And to think I thought it was just a regular cone volcano with its side’s weathered away… Which of course, wasn’t any of the four theories presented…

[@croakingfrog3173]

Isn't that basically what number 3 is? (3:47)

[@dirkstarbuck6126]

@@croakingfrog3173 From my understanding of the video, and having searched out some further info on Laccolith Theory, I don’t believe so. Basically, Laccolith is when magma seeps up from the interior but stops short of breaking the surface. It “pools” in a layer of rock, pushing the ground up above it. The magma eventually hardens in a dome like structure. Over time, the raised ground erodes away, leaving nothing more than the hardened magma dome. I was talking about a volcanic plug, which is formed when magma hardens inside a volcano that’s previously broken the surface and built up a cone shape structure around its vent. This plug is formed when the volcano becomes extinct and its sides whether away, leaving the hardened magma in what used to be the vent.

[@croakingfrog3173]

@@dirkstarbuck6126 Ok I see thanks

[@mojoplayer8915]

This volcano looks like what i make when im messing with the terrain tools on the FarCry editor

[@bquick94]

So sad the editor isn’t coming back

[@InsideOfMyOwnMind]

You could probably do it with Bryce too.

[@johnzuijdveld9585]

Unrelated, but do you realize that you sound very similar to Prof. Hawkins' speech app.? 😊 Very interesting, I had gleaned that the Devil's tower was what was left of the core of a volcano, but this explains much more, thanking you for the knowledge. 👍🏻

[@Quimper111]

"Close encounters of the third kind"

[@Brando90198]

Que all the KZbin University grads with the “it’s a tree stump” comments

[@mrsstaff78]

Funny you should say that the comment below yours says something like that

[@stephandiehl3893]

its a tree stump morons!!

[@zefallafez]

Aliens want us to believe it’s a tree stump.

[@koolgrapp4509]

That's a petrified tree trunk, not a volcano.

[@Edgeof666]

Please don't breed.

[@jaredhayward5760]

You see their is a big issue with that. Not even going into the fact its volcanic but looking at it from the perspective it may be a tree. Life as we know it is made to reproduce. Devils Tower is 867ft tall right now. The tallest tree in the world right now Hyperion stands 379.7ft. What makes this potential tree so special that its a one of a kind? Twice as tall as the largest tree discovered right now, and dont even get me started on width. I'm sure you have seen many trees in your life and know that none of them are anywhere near as wide as devils tower.

[@rambojambone4586]

Thank you very much! Very detailed. I especially liked that!

[@mewtwo.150]

Oh yeah, that's the mountain when a Giant UFO landed in the 80s and started to communicate with a nice beat

[@jamesfrench7299]

1977. That's well away from the 80s.

[@mewtwo.150]

@@jamesfrench7299 dang it >:v

[@Ron_the_Skeptic]

Being volcanic, Iceland has a lot of hexagonal rock structures.

[@70stunes71]

Are you sure it's not just a petrified giant tree...

[@future8783]

Yes it is.

[@andy911uk2002]

No, it isn't

[@KaiserStormTracking]

@Andrew Hardingham Explain the debris at the base? And explain why trees are on it Ahem 2 things erosion and know how plants tend to grow in cracks in concrete? Similar concept here Its pure rock and not petrified

[@KaiserStormTracking]

@Andrew Hardingham Then how is all that debris rounded?

[@KaiserStormTracking]

@Andrew Hardingham Im not gonna watch video from a so called "University"

[@LouisianaAstroRambler]

This place is on my traveling bucket list.. I would love to see it in person one of these days..

[@aquaman8953]

That's a giant ancient tree when Earth was still Tiamat...lol...land of the Giants, dinosaurs, and Super Heroes

[@warrenosborne6044]

It's Turtles all the way down.

[@kl1970]

Only americans can look at this and see a tree stump...

[@dolphincliffs8864]

Usually they are evangelical nutcases as well.

[@vonschweringen8321]

@@dolphincliffs8864 yup...Q anon, flat earther, anti vax trump worshippers. They're idiots.

[@mugendono23]

Its so true and I am ashamed at the lack of reason in so many people here.

[@KaiserStormTracking]

@@mugendono23 some comment said the national park service would say its a tree They would say the Native American legends say its a tree but will commonly agree its an eroded volcanic feature

[@Raptorman0909]

Well, to be fair, there is a diverse group of people promoting the idea its a tree trunk. While the majority are religious a-holes Russian trolls were quick to jump on yet another topic that spreads the idea that you can't trust authority. So, religious nuts form the largest group they are not alone.

[@grantfitzhugh9167]

Looks more like the center core of a petrified tree. Just a thought.

[@grantfitzhugh9167]

@Mr.speaker man something tells me that the garden of Eden was way bigger and more beautiful than we can imagine.

[@Bigfoot-px9gj]

Hmmm... No mention of Devils Tower being classified as Basalt Columns?

[@Martirosyan55]

It’s not a volcano! It’s a tree 🌲

[@SirianXM]

This!

[@christopherhamilton3621]

😂 Idiots actually trolling truth… Yawn…

[@lothean2099]

"Got to build a mountain and it has to be clay"

[@seybertooth9282]

Are we just going to ignore that Devil's Tower was the (real) star of Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)?

[@just_another_Joe]

My wife and I visited Devils Tower on the motorcycle this last Labor Day weekend (Friday/Saturday). First time for both of us. Very impressive! I wasn’t sure what to expect, wondering if it was smaller than how it might have been presented in media (i.e., CEotTK). From a distance, it does seem kind of like it could be a little smaller than it actually is, but it’s all perspective. The closer you get, it becomes obvious just how massive it really is, especially when you hike right up to its base, well into the scree. It’s HUGE! As others mentioned, we were riding along through rolling hills, expecting to see it soon, then suddenly, there it is. It stands out so wildly different than the surrounding countryside. Definitely a bucket-list item! One thing to note: if you go there on a holiday weekend, be sure to get there absolutely as early as possible. Skip breakfast (or have it already prepared and bring it with you), do what you have to do, but get there early. We got there late afternoon on Friday, visited the upper parking area (as close as you can drive to it) for a while, then headed to the Best Western we’d booked just a few miles away. Then, early that Saturday (maybe 8AM?), we rode to the upper parking area again without any trouble. After hiking to the base, and coming back out, the upper parking area was completely full. We rode back down, and after about a mile or so, we saw where the rangers had stopped traffic and were letting cars go up only as others came back out. The line of vehicles behind that was over a mile long, back past the entrance to the park. There was also a very long line of cars stopped on the way out, as the park collected fees when exiting, rather than upon entrance. Being on a motorcycle, we quickly rode past the whole line on the shoulder after I held up my National Parks Pass and the ranger on foot near the start of that line just waved us on through to take the shoulder. If you have a Pass, keep it handy. That saved us a lot of time.