Mushroom Rock State Park
Encyclopedia
Mushroom Rock State Park, located in the Smoky Hills
region of Kansas
, is noted for its mushroom rock
formations
. These rocks were formed through a process of nonuniform erosion and weathering in which a hard mass of Dakota Sandstone
resisted erosion while the underlying softer stone weathered away, forming a "mushroom" shape. There are two mushrooms and a giant shoe rock, as well as numerous other rock formations in the park. The 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) park is located near Salina, Kansas
, just south of I-70.
Smoky Hills
The Smoky Hills are an upland region of hills in the central Great Plains of North America. They are located in the central United States, encompassing north-central Kansas and a small portion of south-central Nebraska. The hills are a dissected plain covered by tallgrass and mixed-grass prairie...
region of Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, is noted for its mushroom rock
Mushroom rocks
A mushroom rock, also called rock pedestal or a pedestal rock, is a naturally occurring rock whose shape, as its name implies, strikingly resembles a mushroom. The rocks are deformed in a number of different ways: the processing of erosion and weathering, glacial action or from a sudden disturbance...
formations
Rock formations in the United States
The following is a partial list of rock formations in the United States, by state:-Arizona:*Canyon de Chelly National Monument**Spider Rock*Chiricahua National Monument**Duck on a Rock**Organ Pipe**Mushroom Rock**Sea Captain*Monument Valley...
. These rocks were formed through a process of nonuniform erosion and weathering in which a hard mass of Dakota Sandstone
Dakota Sandstone
The Dakota Sandstone is a general term for an ill-defined early Cretaceous formation of the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains. It consists of sandy, shallow-marine deposits with intermittent mud flat sediments, and occasional stream deposits...
resisted erosion while the underlying softer stone weathered away, forming a "mushroom" shape. There are two mushrooms and a giant shoe rock, as well as numerous other rock formations in the park. The 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) park is located near Salina, Kansas
Salina, Kansas
Salina is a city in and the county seat of Saline County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 47,707. Located in one of the world's largest wheat-producing areas, Salina is a regional trade center for north-central Kansas...
, just south of I-70.
See also
Other rock formations in Kansas:- Castle Rock (Kansas)Castle Rock (Kansas)Castle Rock is a large limestone pillar in Gove County, Kansas reaching nearly 70 feet tall, within the Smoky Hills region.-Description:Castle Rock was a landmark on the Butterfield Overland Despatch route . The chalk was deposited in the area by an ancient inland sea. The formation was formed by...
- Monument Rocks (Kansas)Monument Rocks (Kansas)Monument Rocks are a series of large chalk formations in Gove County, Kansas, rich in fossils. It is a National Natural Landmark. It was the first landmark chosen by the US Department of the Interior as a national natural landmark. The chalk formations reach a height of up to 70 ft. and include...
- Rock City, KansasRock City, KansasRock City is a park located on hillsides overlooking the Solomon River in Ottawa County, Kansas. It is 3.6 miles south of Minneapolis, Kansas and just over 0.5 mile west of Kansas highway K-106 and the Minneapolis City County Airport on Ivy Road at...