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The Devils Postpile National Monument
California’s Sierra Nevada has its share of natural oddities, but Devil’s Postpile stands out. These hexagonal basalt columns, stacked like nature’s own skyscrapers, formed when ancient lava flows cooled just right. Hike up top and you’ll see the columns’ polished tops, smoothed by glaciers into a natural tile floor.
The monument became protected land in 1911 and features columns that reach 60 feet high and measure up to 3.5 feet across. Today, you can explore 800 acres of surrounding wilderness and visit this rock formation in the Inyo National Forest.
Most of the Columns Have Six Perfect Sides
These rock columns aren’t just random shapes in the ground. Around 60% of them formed into perfect hexagons, with angles that measure exactly 120 degrees between each side. As the lava cooled down evenly long ago, it shrank and cracked into these precise shapes, each one between 2 and 3.5 feet wide.
The tops of these columns are so flat and even that if you were to place a marble on them, it would barely roll around. From the observation area above, you can see how these columns fit together like tiles in a giant puzzle.
Glaciers Made the Top Surface Smooth as Glass
The flat surface of Devils Postpile shines because huge sheets of ice once moved across it. During the last ice age, the thick glaciers slid over the columns and smoothed them down like sandpaper.
If you look closely at the rock surface today, you can see long scratches that point from southwest to northeast. These marks were left behind by rocks trapped in the moving ice. Scientists study these scratch marks to learn about how glaciers moved through the Sierra Nevada mountains thousands of years ago.
The Columns Create Their Own Cool Air System
The gaps between the rock columns work like natural air vents. Cool air moves through these spaces and creates small areas with their own climate. In summer, the air coming from between the columns can be cooler than the air around them.
This natural cooling system helps certain plants grow near the formation that usually wouldn’t survive there, including Sierra wallflowers and special types of sage.
A Large Waterfall Flows Through the Monument
Rainbow Falls drops 101 feet down rock cliffs that formed from the same volcanic activity as Devils Postpile. The waterfall got its name because on sunny mornings, you can see rainbows in the mist where the water hits the rocks below.
The ancient lava flows that created Devils Postpile also forced the Middle Fork San Joaquin River to change its path. This change in the river’s course led to the creation of Rainbow Falls, showing how one volcanic event can create very different natural features.
How Hot Lava Turned Into Hexagonal Columns
The story of Devils Postpile began 100,000 years ago when hot lava burst from the ground and filled a valley. This lava pool was more than a hundred feet deep and got trapped against a wall of ice and rock.
By studying similar lava flows today, scientists think it took 3 to 4 years for all this lava to cool down and harden. The lava stayed hotter than 900 degrees Celsius for several months, which helped create the very regular six-sided columns we see today.
Snow Changes How the Monument Looks in Winter
Each winter brings about 64 inches of snow to Devils Postpile, completely changing how it looks. The snow piles up between the columns and covers them in white, creating interesting patterns in the rock formation.
The main road to the monument is usually closed during winter season or during snowfalls. People who know how to ski or snowshoe in the backcountry can still reach it by following special winter trails. The constant freezing and thawing of water in the rocks slowly changes their shape over time.
Many Animals Live Around the Rock Formation
The 800 acres of Devils Postpile provide homes for lots of different animals. The land has an elevation of about 7,560 feet above sea level, creating several types of habitats where 115 kinds of birds, over 30 different types of mammals, and many reptiles and amphibians live.
Black bears often visit in late summer to eat ripe berries, and deer follow old migration paths through the area. Seven types of bats, including the rare Townsend’s big-eared bat, make their homes in the cracks between the columns.
The Site Helps Scientists Study Old Volcanoes
Researchers from around the world come to Devils Postpile to learn about how volcanic rocks form and cool. The site provides excellent examples of hexagonal cooling patterns and surfaces polished by glaciers.
Scientists use 3D laser scanners and special cameras that detect heat to study how the formation cooled and cracked. What they learn here helps them understand similar rock formations in other places, like Giant’s Causeway in Ireland and Fingal’s Cave in Scotland.
Native Americans Used the Area for Thousands of Years
The Mono Lake Paiute people and other Native American groups considered the area around Devils Postpile to be important long before Europeans arrived. Archaeologists have found arrowheads and stone tools near the formation that show people lived here at least 7,500 years ago.
Native Americans used the distinctive rock formation to help them find their way during seasonal travels and held ceremonies nearby. Pieces of volcanic glass found near the base of the columns suggest people traded goods in this area.
Early Conservationists Saved the Monument from Destruction
When mining companies tried to destroy Devils Postpile in 1905, an engineer named Walter L. Huber documented what made the site special and fought to protect it. President William Howard Taft made it a National Monument in 1911, which meant it would be preserved forever.
The protected area includes both the main rock formation and Rainbow Falls, keeping the whole natural system intact. This early victory for conservation ensured that future generations could study and enjoy this unique place.
Visitors Can Explore the Monument on Well-Made Trails
A short trail that’s 0.4 miles long takes you to the bottom of the columns, while another 0.6-mile path leads to a viewpoint on top of them. From mid-June to mid-September, visitors must take a shuttle bus to reach the monument, which helps protect the environment.
Near the entrance, rangers give talks at an outdoor amphitheater about the monument’s rocks, plants, and animals. These presentations share the latest scientific discoveries about Devils Postpile with visitors.
The post Mathematical Precision Exists in Stone at This Ancient Volcanic Formation in California appeared first on When In Your State.
