For most of its existence, Devils Tower lay buried and protected from weathering beneath a thick cover of sedimentary rock layers. Uplift—both local (i.e., the Black Hills and Bear Lodge Mountains) and regional (i.e., the entire Rocky Mountain area)—and the resulting increase in the rate of erosion, exposed the tower at the surface. Since that time, weathering and erosional processes have continued to wear away the tower.

Select a topic to learn about how Devils Tower became exposed: