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City of Rocks National Reserve

Many of the great rock outcropping in the preserve preserve dome-like shapes. These dome-like features reflect many of the features of the original shape of the igneous plutons in which the granite formed. As the rocks became exposed near the surface cracks (called joints) became passages where groundwater could seep into the rock causing the rocks to start to weather away. Today the landscape reflects the cumulative expression of the granite's exposure to weathering and erosional processes.

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