Enchanted Rock
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Enchanted Rock is an enormous pink granite pluton just west of the Hill Country of central Texas in the United States. It is located in southern Llano County south of the Llano River, approximately 15 mi (24 km) north of Fredericksburg. It covers approximately 640 acres (3 km²) and rises approximately 425 ft (130 m) above the surrounding terrain to elevation of 1,825 ft (550 m) above sea level. It the second largest such granite monadnock in the United States after Stone Mountain in Georgia. It is currently part of Enchanted Rock State Natural Area in the Texas state park system.
Geology and History
The prominent granite rock dome is visible for many miles in the surrounding basin of the Llano Uplift. Its gentle dome gives the appearance of being the edge of a pebble of leviathan proportions extruding from the earth, in the same manner as the larger Ayers Rock in Australia. The rock is actually part of segmented ridge, the surface expression of a large igneous batholith of middle Precambrian material that intruded into earlier metamorphic schists and gneiss. The intrusive granite of the pluton was exposed by extensive erosion of the surrounding sedimentary rock (which is primarily limestone).
Archaeological evidence indicates human visitation at the rock going back at least 11,000 years. Folklore of local Native American tribes ascribes magical and spiritual powers to the rock(hence the name 'Enchanted Rock'). The first European to visit the area was probably Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca in 1536. The Tonkawa, who inhabited the area in the 16th century, believed that ghost fires flickered at the top of the dome. In particular they heard unexplained creaking and groaning, which geologists attribute to the rock's night-time contraction after being heated by the sun during the day. The name "Enchanted Rock" derives from Spanish and Anglo-Texan interpretations of such legends and related folklore.
The rock has been the subject of numerous geological surveys and paintings. It was declared a National Natural Landmark in 1970. The rock was in private hands until 1978, when it was purchased by the Nature Conservancy. The State of Texas acquired it in 1979 and opened it as a park in 1984 after adding facilities. That same year it was also added to the National Register of Historic Places. It is currently one of the most popular destinations for hiking and camping in central Texas. Climbing footpaths to the top of the dome is a popular activity. Technical rock climbing is very popular there as well.
External links
- Enchanted Rock State Natural Area (http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/park/enchantd/enchantd.htm)
- Texas Handbook Online: Enchanted Rock (http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/EE/rje13.html)
- E-Rock: Virtual Trip to Enchanted Rock (http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~rmr/E-rock/E-rock.html)
- Technical rock climbing at Enchanted Rock (http://www.erockonline.com)
- Extensive photo collection from Enchanted Rock at Fractasia (http://fractasia.com/cgi-bin/pw1.pl?photoguid=brianp&suite=Enchanted.Rock)