Peña de Bernal

Peña de Bernal (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈpeɲa ðe βeɾˈnal]; in English: Bernal's Boulder or Bernal Peak) is a 433 m (1,421 ft) tall monolith, one of the tallest in the world.[1] Peña de Bernal is located in San Sebastián Bernal, a small town in the Mexican state of Querétaro.[2] It is one of the most touristic sites near the capital of Querétaro and considered one of the 13 Wonders of Mexico.

According to studies carried out, the rock was formed from a volcano that exhausted its activity, later the lava in the interior became solid and the erosion it suffered over te years made the remains of the volcano disappear. The solid magma that remains is what constitutes and shapes the monolith.

The porphyrytic monolith was thought to have been formed during the Jurassic period.[2] A recent chemical analysis by researchers at the National Autonomous University of Mexico has determined that it is considerably younger, likely formed about 8.7 million years ago.[3]

Many people perform a pilgrimage to the small chapel located at the highest point accessible through hiking.

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References

References

  1. "Geologic setting of the Peña de Bernal Natural Monument, Querétaro, México: An endogenous volcanic dome". Geosphere. Archived from the original on 2015-03-13.
  2. "Bernal". México Desconocido. Archived from the original on 2015-03-13.
  3. "Mexican Monolith Is World's Tallest Freestanding Rock". Georgia Newsday. Archived from the original on 2015-03-13.