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. Archived from the original on 2012-05-24. 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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