Monument Rocks, Natural landmark in Gove County, Kansas, United States
The Monument Rocks consist of white chalk formations that rise 70 feet above the Kansas plains, creating natural pyramids and arches in the landscape.
The carbonate formations originated 80 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period when Kansas lay beneath the Western Interior Seaway dividing North America.
The Department of Interior selected Monument Rocks as the first National Natural Landmark in Kansas, recognizing its geological and educational importance.
Visitors reach the Monument Rocks by taking US Route 83 south of Oakley, then following Jayhawk Road east and turning south on Gove County Roads.
The chalk formations contain numerous marine fossils from prehistoric creatures, including shells, fish remains, and microscopic organisms from the ancient seabed.
Location: Kansas
GPS coordinates: 38.79060,-100.76200
Latest update: May 27, 2025 07:10
The selection presents geological formations from basalt columns in Northern Ireland to salt flats in Bolivia. It includes glaciers, volcanoes, canyons, waterfalls, and coral reefs. These geological structures were shaped by natural forces such as erosion, tectonic movements, and volcanic activities over millions of years.
Kansas offers a land where ancient geological formations, historical sites, and cultural institutions come together. This collection features locations that testify to several million years of natural history and two centuries of human presence. Visitors can explore sandstone formations shaped by erosion at Mushroom Rock State Park, discover underground galleries of Strataca in an active salt mine in Hutchinson, or see the chalk cliffs of Monument Rocks rising 21 meters high in Gove County. The route also includes testimonies of the region's artistic and religious heritage. The Plains Guardian, a 13-meter steel sculpture, marks the confluence of the Arkansas and Little Arkansas rivers in Wichita. The Victoria Stone Church showcases architecture from 1911 with its twin 43-meter towers. Eden Garden in Lucas features more than 150 concrete sculptures created between 1907 and 1928. The Cosmosphere houses the second-largest collection of space artifacts in the United States. These sites provide insight into the geological, historical, and cultural features of Kansas.
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