Castle Rock (Colorado)

This article is about the butte in Colorado. For the town named after it, see Castle Rock, Colorado.
Castle Rock
Highest point
Elevation 6,590 ft (2,010 m)
Prominence 370 ft (110 m)
Coordinates 39°22′44.72″N 104°51′21.79″W / 39.3790889°N 104.8560528°W / 39.3790889; -104.8560528Coordinates: 39°22′44.72″N 104°51′21.79″W / 39.3790889°N 104.8560528°W / 39.3790889; -104.8560528
Geography
Castle Rock

Location in Colorado

Location Castle Rock, Colorado,
United States

Castle Rock is a butte in the Colorado Piedmont region of the Great Plains.[1][2] An area landmark, it is located in as well as the namesake of the town of Castle Rock, Colorado.[3]

The butte's caprock consists of rhyolite, rock which is strongly resistant to erosion. About 37 million years ago, a volcanic eruption took place that covered the area around Castle Rock with 20 feet (6.1 m) of rhyolite. After a few million years, mass flooding and erosion of the volcanic rock gave way to the castle-shaped butte visible today.[4]

References

  1. ↑ "Colorado Geology Overview". Colorado Geology Photojournals - A Tribute to Colorado's Physical Past and Present. Retrieved 2013-10-01.
  2. ↑ "Physiographic Provinces of Colorado". Colorado Geological Survey. Retrieved 2013-10-01.
  3. ↑ Dawson, John Frank (1954). Place names in Colorado: why 700 communities were so named, 150 of Spanish or Indian origin. Denver, CO: The J. Frank Dawson Publishing Co. p. 13.
  4. ↑ Johnson, Kirk R.; et al. (2006). Ancient Denvers. Fulcrum Publishing. ISBN 978-1-55591-554-4.
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