Final answer:
The land around Devil's Tower transformed from being underwater to dry land over millions of years due to tectonic activity, accumulation of sediment, and the drying up of an inland sea.
Step-by-step explanation:
The land around Devil's Tower transformed from being underwater to dry land over millions of years due to geological processes. One of the key factors was tectonic activity caused by the movement of Earth's crustal plates. Death Valley, located near Devil's Tower, lies near the boundary of these plates. As the plates moved, compressional forces folded and fractured the brittle crust, leading to the uplift of the land where Devil's Tower is located.
Additionally, the deposition of sediment played a role in the transformation. Tiny sea plants and animals died and accumulated on the ocean floor, becoming buried under layers of silt and sand over time. These layers of sediment eventually solidified into rock, creating the dry land around Devil's Tower.
The transformation also involved erosion and the drying up of an inland sea. The Delaware inland sea, which was connected to the Panthalassic Ocean, started to dry up after approximately 30 million years, forming evaporite deposits. The acidic brines created by the drying sea dissolved the underlying carbonate reef, leading to the formation of caves and affecting fossil preservation in the region.