Stone Mountain

Stone Mountain
The mountain viewed from a distance
Highest point
Elevation1,686 ft (514 m)
Prominence825 ft (251 m)
Coordinates33°48′21.40″N 84°8′43.52″W / 33.8059444°N 84.1454222°W / 33.8059444; -84.1454222
Geography
Topo mapUSGS Stone Mountain, Georgia

Stone Mountain is a quartz monzonite dome monadnock and the site of Stone Mountain Park, 16 miles (26 km) east of Atlanta, Georgia. Outside the park is the small city of Stone Mountain, Georgia. The park is the most visited tourist site in the state of Georgia.

The park is owned by the state of Georgia. At its summit, the elevation is 1,686 feet (514 m) above sea level and 825 feet (251 m) above the surrounding area. Stone Mountain is well known for not only its geology, but also the enormous rock relief on its north face, the largest bas-relief artwork in the world.[1] The carving, completed in 1972, depicts three Confederate leaders, Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, and Stonewall Jackson.[2][3]

Stone Mountain, once owned by the Venable Brothers,[4] was seen from the outset "as a memorial to the Confederacy."[5] Stone Mountain Park officially opened on April 14, 1965 – 100 years to the day after Lincoln's assassination,[6] although the park had already been in use for a few years.[7]

The mountain top and Skyride
Drone footage of Stone Mountain, 2022

The mountain, which ranges in composition from quartz monzonite to granite and granodiorite, is more than 5 miles (8 km) in circumference at its base. The summit of the mountain can be reached by a walk-up trail on the west side of the mountain or by the Skyride aerial tram.

  1. ^ "Stone Mountain Archived 2008-04-22 at the Wayback Machine." georgia.gov, retrieved February 2007.
  2. ^ "What Will Happen to Stone Mountain, America’s Largest Confederate Memorial? Archived 2018-05-28 at the Wayback Machine." "smithsonianmag.com," retrieved May 2018.
  3. ^ Shah, Khushbu (October 24, 2018). "The KKK's Mount Rushmore: the problem with Stone Mountain". The Guardian. Archived from the original on October 24, 2018. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  4. ^ Stewart, Bruce (October 31, 2016). "Stone Mountain". New Georgia Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on June 16, 2020. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  5. ^ Suggs, Ernie (January 15, 2017). "Birth of an idea: Where the King monument on Stone Mountain came from". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on December 11, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  6. ^ McKinney, Debra (February 10, 2018). "Stone Mountain. A Monumental Dilemma". Intelligence Report (164). Southern Poverty Law Center: 18–22. Archived from the original on July 7, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  7. ^ "History – Stone Mountain Park". www.stonemountainpark.com. Archived from the original on May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

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