Monument Rocks (Kansas)

Monument Rocks
Monument Rocks
	View of the Monument Rocks
	Map showing location of Monument Rocks
Location	South of Oakley, Kansas, Gove County, Smoky Hills, Kansas, United States
Coordinates	38°47′26″N 100°45′45″W / 38.79056°N 100.76250°W
Elevation	802 m (2,631 ft)
Established	National Natural Landmark
Website	Washburn University website
U.S. National Natural Landmark
Designated	1968

Monument Rocks (also Chalk Pyramids) are a series of large chalk formations in Gove County, Kansas, rich in fossils. The formations were the first landmark in Kansas chosen by the U.S. Department of the Interior as a National Natural Landmark. The chalk formations reach a height of up to 70 ft (21 m) and include formations such as buttes and arches. The carbonate deposits were laid down during the Cretaceous Period in what was then the Western Interior Seaway, which split the continent of North America into two landmasses. They are estimated to have been formed 80 million years ago.

History

On January 29, 2008, Monument Rocks, 25 miles south of Oakley, Kansas, and Castle Rock, 31 miles to the east, were jointly named as one of the 8 Wonders of Kansas.^[1]