Shiprock

Shiprock is a monadnock rising about 483 meters above the desert plain of the Navajo Nation in San Juan County, New Mexico, the erosional remnant of the throat of a volcano that was active around 30 million years ago. It is a volcanic breccia pierced by dikes of igneous rock called minette, and its exposed neck is flanked by several long, thin volcanic dike walls radiating outward like sails, which along with its overall silhouette gave rise to its English name. Known in Navajo as Tse Bit'a'i, "rock with wings," it holds deep religious significance in Navajo tradition and is one of the most prominent examples of a volcanic neck exposed by erosion of the surrounding softer rock.