See Serpentine Tors, Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Alaska

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Around Serpentine Hot Springs, the Oonatut Granite Complex forms freestanding spires of rock called “tors”. The term “tor” is derived from the Celtic word for hill, and refers to an exposed mass of rock (usually jointed granite) that rises abruptly from the surrounding landscape (Figure 2). There are several models that explain tor development (see Figure 3 for a description), but all models involve rock making up the tors weathering more slowly than surrounding rock. For example, tors in Scotland have been found to preferentially develop in coarser-grained granite with wider-spaced jointing. It is unknown if grain size or joint spacing are driving the formation of tors in the Oonatut Granite Complex, but the differing textural facies makes this a possibility.

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