I have returned to this dramatic monolith three times in my career. It is such an unexpected geological feature among the otherwise gently rolling hills of the region. Early people had legends about how bears raked the stone with their claws, giving it the texture you see in the photograph. Geologists have come up with several theories for how it formed, but explaining those would take too long in this space; besides, I don’t have a head for remembering geological processes, so I won’t bore you with a fumbling explanation. I am more interested in the dramatic look of the tower, which was featured as the location for an alien spaceship landing in Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Location: Devils Tower National Monument, Wyoming, USA

LIMITED EDITION: This photographic print is part of a limited edition produced by photographer Lee Rentz. The edition consists of 250 prints, which includes all sizes and methods of printing.