Social media users have been sharing content claiming that scientists discovered that the Devil's Tower butte in Wyoming is originally a giant tree after finding “an incredibly large petrified root system” underneath it. This claim is false.

What is Devils Tower made out of?

Devils Tower is a 264-meter (867-foot) rock formation in northeastern Wyoming. Devils Tower is made of phonolite porphyry. Phonolite porphyry is an igneous rock, meaning it was formed as magma or lava cooled. As the magma that formed Devils Tower cooled, it condensed into columns.

What is so special about Devils Tower?

The tower is made up of mostly hexagonal columns, but some have as few as four or as many as seven sides. Devils Tower was the first National Monument in the United States - declared as such in 1906 by President Teddy Roosevelt. ... More than 150 rock climbing routes have been established on Devils Tower.