What made Devils Tower fracture into giant polygonal columns?
Cooling igneous rock contracting
The answer was Cooling igneous rock contracting. Here's the why, the decoys, and the source trail.
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As igneous rock cooled, it contracted and fractured into the distinctive columns seen at Devils Tower.
Devils Tower displays polygonal columns formed as igneous rock cooled and contracted; details of its original formation remain debated.
A good question makes the wrong answers feel close. Here is the clean read on the set.
- Glacier scratches - a decoy; it may live near the same topic, but it does not answer this exact clue.
- Wind-carved sandstone - a decoy; it may live near the same topic, but it does not answer this exact clue.
- Cooling igneous rock contracting - correct answer.
- Ancient tree roots - a decoy; it may live near the same topic, but it does not answer this exact clue.
Cooling igneous rock contracting is the one to remember. As igneous rock cooled, it contracted and fractured into the distinctive columns seen at Devils Tower. Column-shaped fractures can form in cooling rock in many places around the world.
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Sources: U.S. Geological Survey