Shiprock

Shiprock is a unique rock formation thar rises to nearly 1,583 feet above the high desert plain of the Navajo Nation in San Juan County, New Mexico, United States. The city of Shiprock, named after the formation, is 11 miles northeast of it.

It is visible for a long distance from the roads around it.

It is in the Four Corners region and plays a significant role in Navajo religion, myth, and tradition. It is considered a sacred place by Navajos, and you should not trespass onto the dirt roads and observe it from the nearby paved roads only.

Shiprock, is the erosional remnant of the throat of a volcano, The rock probably was originally formed 2,500–3,000 feet below the Earth’s surface 27 million of years ago, but it was exposed after millions of years of erosion.

The name Shiprock or Shiprock Peak or Ship Rock derives from the peak’s resemblance to an 19th-century clipper ship.

The Navajo name for the peak, Tsé Bitʼaʼí, “rock with wings” or “winged rock”, refers to the legend of the great bird that brought the Navajo from the north to their present lands.

Wall-like dikes radiate away from the central formation and a view from the top resembles really a bird.