2015/02/18 by Prokop Závada, Petr Dědeček, Jaroslav Lexa +1 · 1 voice
Earth and Planetary Sciences · #Geological Formations and Processes Exploration #Geological and Geochemical Analysis #Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
paper · pdf · doi:10.1130/ges01166.1
openalex publication_date 2015/02/18 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
We have investigated the mode of emplacement of iconic Devils Tower, which is a phonolite porphyry monolith in the state of Wyoming in the western United States. Our fi eld survey of this structure and its geological setting, its radiometric dating, and the tectonomagmatic evolution of the region suggest a new genetic interpretation of the vol cani clastic rocks in the area and provide a basis for a new hypothetical emplacement scenario for Devils Tower. This interpretation was inspired by an analogy of the tower with a similar phono lite butte in the Cenozoic vol canic region of the Czech Republic and analogue modeling using plaster of paris combined with fi nite element thermal numerical modeling. Our results indicate that Devils Tower is a remnant of a coule or low lava dome that was emplaced into a broad phreatomagmatic crater at the top of a maar-diatreme volcano.