La Peña de Bernal
Encyclopedia
Peña de Bernal At 350 meters (1150 ft) it is the third-tallest monolith
in the world, after the Rock of Gibraltar
and Sugarloaf Mountain. (Mount Augustus
, in Western Australia, is sometimes credited to be the world's largest monolith. However, the claim does not originate from the geological literature, nor is substantiated by any other scholarly research.)
Peña de Bernal is located in San Sebastián Bernal, a small town in the Mexican state of Querétaro
.
According to Leonor López Domínguez of México Desconocido, the porphyrytic
monolith was formed some 100 million years ago during the Jurassic
period, when it must have been at least three times higher than today.
Many people make a pilgrimage
to the highest point hikeable, visiting a little chapel about halfway up.
Monolith
A monolith is a geological feature such as a mountain, consisting of a single massive stone or rock, or a single piece of rock placed as, or within, a monument...
in the world, after the Rock of Gibraltar
Rock of Gibraltar
The Rock of Gibraltar is a monolithic limestone promontory located in Gibraltar, off the southwestern tip of Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. It is high...
and Sugarloaf Mountain. (Mount Augustus
Mount Augustus National Park
Mount Augustus National Park is located 852 km north of Perth, 490 km by road east of Carnarvon and 390 km northwest of Meekatharra, in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia...
, in Western Australia, is sometimes credited to be the world's largest monolith. However, the claim does not originate from the geological literature, nor is substantiated by any other scholarly research.)
Peña de Bernal is located in San Sebastián Bernal, a small town in the Mexican state of Querétaro
Querétaro
Querétaro officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Querétaro de Arteaga is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 18 municipalities and its capital city is Santiago de Querétaro....
.
According to Leonor López Domínguez of México Desconocido, the porphyrytic
Porphyry (geology)
Porphyry is a variety of igneous rock consisting of large-grained crystals, such as feldspar or quartz, dispersed in a fine-grained feldspathic matrix or groundmass. The larger crystals are called phenocrysts...
monolith was formed some 100 million years ago during the Jurassic
Jurassic
The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Mya to Mya, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the age of reptiles. The start of the period is marked by...
period, when it must have been at least three times higher than today.
Many people make a pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
to the highest point hikeable, visiting a little chapel about halfway up.