Monument Rocks 1
by Lynn Sprowl
Title
Monument Rocks 1
Artist
Lynn Sprowl
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Monumont Rocks 1 by Lynn Sprowl
Monument Rocks and Castle Rock are an 8 Wonder of Kansas as a duo entry because of the scientifically significant fossils these ancient chalk beds have produced and because they have been highly eroded into unusual spires and shapes, making them spectacular landmarks on the plains of western Kansas!
On the western edge of Gove County is Monument Rocks, a series of large, heavily sculpted chalk monoliths that are sometimes referred to as the Chalk Pyramids. The site has been designated as a National Natural Landmark. In eastern Gove County is Castle Rock, a chalk spire that stands by itself in the valley of Hackberry Creek, though immediately south of Castle Rock is an extensive outcrop of chalk, capped by the younger Ogallala Formation.
The chalk was deposited during the Cretaceous Period of geologic history, about 80 million years ago, when the central interior of the U.S. was covered by a seaway. The several hundred feet deep water contained single-celled animals that drifted to the sea floor for eons, creating a mucky ooze. This material was perfect for trapping and preserving the remains of animals that lived in that ocean, such as fish, turtles, sharks, swimming reptiles called mosasaurs and plesiosaurs, swimming birds, gliding reptiles called pterosaurs, as well as invertebrate animals such as giant clams. Today the chalk beds routinely give up these fossils. Probably the best-known fossil from these beds is the famous "fish-within-a-fish" on display at the Sternberg Museum in Hays.
Both places are on private property but the landowners are amenable to visitors and no special permission is required. Please be respectful!
PLEASE NOTE: The following is not allowed - no climbing, fossil hunting, camping, littering or bonfires. Do not honk at cattle. Please take only pictures and leave only footprints.
Uploaded
May 28th, 2022
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