Devils Tower, an 867-foot-high rock tower of intrusive igneous rock, is in constant motion, according to a 2026 study (attached). The tower, located within Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming, sways back and forth about once every second (~1 Hz), and the movements are tiny at only fractions of a millimeter.
“The tower is constantly in motion, bending and twisting every second of every day,” Jeffrey Moore, a co-author of the study, told the Traveler. “These motions are incredibly tiny so not something humans can observe, but nonetheless they are very real, and a part of the tower's story.”
In order to measure the movement of Devils Tower, the researchers placed a seismometer on the summit with permission from the National Park Service. The seismometer measured the tower’s constant motions on one overnight period and found three resonant modes, two of which are swaying and one which is torsion. This sequence is similar to tall buildings and some past measurements on sandstone towers, notes the study.
“During windy periods the tower will shake stronger, but it's always in motion,” explained Moore. “Even when the wind is completely still, seismic energy from the earth excites vibration of the tower.”
The researchers point out that “vibration analysis of cultural heritage sites, including geologic features of national parks and monuments, is important not only in developing approaches for long-term management and conservation, and in aiding vibration risk assessment, but also can be valuable for public outreach to generate new interest in geologic features as dynamic at time scales concurrent with human perception and visitation.”
The information gained from the study may help assess risks from vibration-induced damage or predict co-seismic rockfalls. It also creates a new way for visitors to experience the landform—not only as a geologic structure evolving slowly over millions of years, but as a dynamic and lively landform constantly in motion, say the researchers.
“We hope that by bringing the tower to life we help people experience it in a new way, showing that it's not just a static rock landform but that it's dynamic, lively and constantly moving,” said Moore.
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