Monolith
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- For the computer game company, see Monolith Productions.
- For the Japanese computer game company, see Monolith Soft.
A monolith is a monument or natural feature such as a mountain, consisting of a single massive stone or rock. Erosion usually exposes these formations, which are most often made of very hard and solid metamorphic rock.
A common cultural reference is to the Monolith from the book and film 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C Clark and Stanley Kubrick. These monoliths are a group of artifacts built by an alien civilization. Their purpose is to aid in the development of species. A monolith utilised at the dawn of humankind was a major reason for accelerating and directing the evolution of man to its current level of development.
The word derives from the Latin word monolithus from the Greek word μονόλιϑος (monolithos), derived from μόνος ("one" or "lonely") and λίϑος ("stone").
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Natural monoliths
The four largest are:
- Mount Augustus, in Australia
- Uluru (formerly Ayers Rock), in the Outback of Australia
- La Pena de Bernal, in Mexico
- Stone Mountain, near Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Others include:
North America
- Bottleneck Peak and Moon, Sids Mountain, Utah
- Devils Tower National Monument, Wyoming
- El Capitan, Yosemite National Park, California
- Haystack Rock, Cannon Beach, Oregon
- Stawamus Chief, Squamish, British_Columbia, Canada
- Enchanted Rock, Llano_County, Texas
Europe
- Frau Holle Stone, near Fulda, Germany
- Humber Stone, Humberstone, near Leicester, England.
- King Arthur's Stone (Cornwall)
- Logan Stone (Trereen, Cornwall)
- Odin Stone (Stenhouse, Orkney; destroyed in 1814)
- Rock of Gibraltar
Australia
- Mount Coolum, Queensland, Australia
South America
Many of these have legends attached.
Manmade monoliths
- Obelisks - see this article for a list
- Ogham Stone, Dingle Peninsula, Ireland
- Adam and Eve Stones, Avebury, Wiltshire, England
- Merlin Stone, Avebury Stone Circle, Wiltshire, England
- Manzanar National Historic Landmark, USA