Fifth Grade
Worksheets
Devils Tower
Devils* Tower is unique. It was the first national monument in our country. It became one in 1906. It is in Wyoming. It is sacred to more than twenty Native American tribes. There are many stories about the tower. One story is that a bear clawed the sides of the tower. This creation story tells how the tower got the deep grooves on its sides. Many Plains tribes perform rituals and ceremonies at Devils Tower.
Devils Tower is made of igneous rock. It formed below ground around 50 million years ago. Molten rock was pushed up into sedimentary rock. In geology, this is called an igneous intrusion. Then the magma cooled and hardened. It formed columns. After millions of years, the sedimentary rock around the Tower eroded. The harder igneous rock was left behind. Devils Tower is not hollow. The columns of igneous rock are like a bunch of pencils held together. That is why the edges look grooved. In millions of years, Devils Tower will erode away, too.
