why is the Devils Tower called so?

Question

and why is it shaped like that?

are there scientific reasons to it?

it's like the only thing in that big open space that is like a mountain, isnt that odd?

do you know anything about it?

Answer 1

EDIT:

According to wikipedia there is no significance to the name. I have noticed that really bizarre and strange landmarks are always given the name "Devil's" before it. For example, "Devil's Canyon" or "Devil's Peak". Any strange geological formation that is awkward to its surrounding invironment.

Here is a huge artical giving theories about its formation.

Geologists agree that Devils Tower was formed by the intrusion of igneous material. What they cannot agree upon is how, exactly, that process took place. Geologists Carpenter and Russell studied Devils Tower in the late 1800s and came to the conclusion that the Tower was indeed formed by an igneous intrusion. Later geologists searched for further explanations. Several geologists believe the molten rock comprising the Tower might not have surfaced; other researchers are convinced the tower is all that remains of what once was a large explosive volcano.

In 1907, scientists Darton and O'Hara decided that Devils Tower must be an eroded remnant of a laccolith. A laccolith is a large mass of igneous rock which is intruded through sedimentary rock beds but does not actually reach the surface, producing a rounded bulge in the sedimentary layers above. This theory was quite popular in the early 1900s since numerous studies had earlier been done on a number of laccoliths in the Southwest.

Other theories have suggested that Devils Tower is a volcanic plug or that it is the neck of an extinct volcano. Presumably, if Devils Tower was a volcanic plug, any volcanics created by it--volcanic ash, lava flows, volcanic debris--would have been eroded away long ago. Some pyroclastic material of the same age as Devils Tower has been identified elsewhere in Wyoming.

Geologists agree that the igneous material intruded and then cooled as phonolite porphyry, a light to dark-gray or greenish-gray igneous trachyte rock with conspicuous crystals of white feldspar. As the lava cooled, hexagonal (and sometimes 4-, 5-, and 7-sided) columns formed. As the rock continued to cool, the vertical columns shrank horizontally in volume and cracks began to occur at 120 degree angles, generally forming compact 6-sided columns. (See also Devils Postpile National Monument and Giant's Causeway.)

Until erosion began its relentless work, Devils Tower was not visible above the overlying sedimentary rocks. But the forces of erosion, particularly that of water, began to wear away the sandstones and shales. The much harder igneous rock survived the onslaught of erosional forces, and the gray columns of Devils Tower began to appear above the surrounding landscape.

As rain and snow continue to erode the sedimentary rocks surrounding the Tower's base, and the Belle Fourche River carries away the debris, more of Devils Tower will be exposed. But at the same time, the Tower itself is slowly being eroded. Cracks that form the columns are subject to water and ice, becoming larger. Rocks are continually breaking off and falling from the steep walls. Seldom do entire columns fall, but on rare occasions they do. Piles of rubble--broken columns, boulders, small rocks, and stones--lie at the base of the Tower, indicating that it was, at some time in the past, larger than it is today.

HOPE THIS HELPS!

Answer 2

WHY IS IT CALLED SO?
"Sixteen years later, Colonel Richard I. Dodge led a U.S. Geological Survey party to the massive rock formation and coined the name Devils Tower. Recognizing its unique characteristics, Congress designated the area a U.S. forest reserve in 1892 and in 1906 Devils Tower became the nation's first national monument. All information signs and references use the name "Devils Tower"."

SCIENTIFIC REASONS TO IT?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devils_Tower_National_Monument#Theories_of_formation

ISN'T THAT ODD?
Yeah. I think so. lol..
Look at this picture:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:A_Yool_DevilsTower_04Sep03_exif.jpg

KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT?
Yeah. I've heard it before. But it doesn't sound too popular like the Grand Canyon, Yosemite National Park, etc.

Answer 3

When "missionaries" came, and saw Indigenous people worshipping at the mountains, they believed they were worshipping the "devil" and called the mountain therefore "devils tower." This is true for many sites around the US, and north and south of it. In South Carolina, there is a fork of a lake called "devils fork." The site probably had special significance to some of the tribes here.

Answer 4

No to all your questions. Calling some concern "devil's X" is largely a custom used for "impossible" formations. undergo in ideas, the 1st settlers west weren't geologists, so as that they blamed the monolith on the devil.

Answer 5

its the center of an eroded extinct volcano, the rock in the middle was harder than the volcano, so it did not erode at the same rate

Answer 6

*Giggles * Try climbing it sometime..... Direct route ;)