Stone Mountain
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Vocabulary
 magma: melted rock beneath the crust of the Earth

granite: A hard igneous rock that is often used as a building material.

dome: an object shaped like an upside down bowl.

memorial: a reminder of a person or an event.

sea level: The level
of the surface of the ocean. 
 
landmark: a prominent or distinguishing landscape feature
 
 
 
 
 Stone Mountain is located outside of Atlanta, Georgia. It is a bald dome of granite .The granite is fine grained and gray. There is a memorial of Confederate generals carved on one side of the mountain. It is the world's largest piece of sculptural art. On the top there is a large building and a lot of antennas. First named Crystal Mountain by Spanish explorer Juan Pardo, Stone Mountain is a medium grained granite. The Creek Indians called it Lone Mountain. Stone Mountain is 1,683 feet above sea level and you can see it all the way from Kennesaw Mountain. What started as magma deep inside the Earth over 200 million years ago became the world's largest solid piece of granite. Stone Mountain has changed a lot over time and scientists believe that erosion has revealed what we see today. Stone Mountain is home to lots of plants and animals. In the summer there is a lot of water in the pools. Two types of shrimp live in them, fairy shrimp and clam shrimp. There are also unique kinds of red moss found nowhere else in the world. There are different kinds of birds, such as hoot owls,  red tailed hawks,  wood ducks, mallards, great blue herons, and different kinds of egrets. Red foxes, bobcats, gray squirrels, and deer also live there. Many plants make their home on the surface of Stone Mountain. The most famous plant is the Stone Mountain Yellow Daisy. This flower is also known as the Confederate Daisy. The Yellow Daisy Festival , a local popular event in the Atlanta area, is named after this flower. Stone Mountain is a very important mountain. It began as a quarry in the 1830's and continued until the 1970's. They cut pieces of granite for lots of things including monuments and tombstones, but mostly it was for roads and buildings. The police station in Stone Mountain village is a good example.  Stone Mountain has created jobs for people as a quarry, as a park and for tourists to visit. A landmark for the people of Georgia, Stone Mountain, is a great place to relax, have a picnic, hike, ride your bike, see a show or just have fun.