The Needles Eye

The Needles Eye. One Rock Formation Offers Millions of Stories. Geology provides the foundation of scenery in the Black Hills. From rocky outcroppings to towering spires, the northern portion of Custer State Park highlights the essence of the central core., The central core is a region of rocks mainly composed of granite. This area is also home to some of the oldest rocks in North America, dating over two billion years in age. Formed underground and now exposed at the surface, the Black Hills region features a dome-like mass of resistant rocks., The Black Hills Are an Island in the Plains , The geologic history of the Black Hills is long and complex. In viewing the landscape, you would never guess the region had a history of vast oceans, uplifts, and volcanoes. These natural events, combined with millions of years of erosion and weathering, sculpted the rocks into their present shapes and elevations., This Roadway Attracts Most Everyone , The Needles Highway began attracting public attention upon its completion in 1922. Like past years, visitors continue to drive the narrow roadway to revel in its natural beauty and admire its engineering feat., Today, sightseers explore more than the roadway, a varied number of recreational activities take place within this rocky terrain., Do Rocks Have Recipes? , The Needles Eye and Cathedral Spires are made from granite. It is an igneous rock, forming underground from magma (liquid rock). As it pushed upward millions of years ago, the molten rock cooled very slowly. At times, this cooling process yields large crystals which tend to be minerals within one of these three families: feldspar, mica, and quartz., Caption for largest photo: The Cathedral Spires is perhaps the most famous rock formation in the Black Hills. Its name comes from the towering peaks which appear like organ pipes from the Needles Highway., Caption for drawing: Kids often observe more than what is expected during a family vacation. Some scenery simply captures their attention and causes them to become more aware of their natural world.