Granite Mountain (Texas)

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Granite Mountain
Granite Mountain.JPG
Granite Mountain present day
Highest point
Elevation 965 ft (294 m)
Coordinates 30°35′18″N98°18′04″W / 30.58833°N 98.30111°W / 30.58833; -98.30111
Geography
Location Burnet County, Texas, United States
Geology
Type of rock Granite
Historical marker Marble-falls-tx2017-15(granite-mountain).jpg
Historical marker
Granite Mountain as it existed in 1890 Granite Mountain in 1890.jpg
Granite Mountain as it existed in 1890

Granite Mountain is a solid dome, also known as a bornhardt, of pink granite (pink granite is also known as Sunset Red) rising over 860 feet one mile west of Marble Falls, Texas. Since quarry operations began in the late 19th century, the distinctive pink-red colored rock has been used in the construction of the Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas, and also for the construction of the Galveston Seawall. In 1882, three businessmen and the owners of Granite Mountain, G. W. Lacy (of the Lacy Lans Ranch), [1] N. L. Norton and W. H. Westfall, donated the amount of granite necessary to build the Texas State Capitol. [2] The mountain no longer looks like a geographic feature because of the heavy mining, which has fully covered its surface. A similar but much larger area known as Enchanted Rock State Natural Area can be seen in its undisturbed state west of Marble Falls near Fredericksburg, Texas.

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References

  1. From Texas Department of Agriculture. Texas Family Land Heritage Registry, Volume 20, 2005; Austin, Texas, University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; UNT Libraries Government Documents Department. "Texas Family Land Heritage Registry". Texas Department of Agriculture. 2005. p. 24. Archived from the original on 2009-04-06. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  2. Texas State Historical Association, Handbook of Texas Texas State Historical Association. "Capitol". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved February 2, 2022.