Balanced Rock, Garden of the Gods Park, Colorado was exposed more than 60 million years ago when the existing Rocky Mountains rose. To make its current shape, the soft bottom layer of shale eroded much faster than the harder sandstone and conglomerate above. Balanced Rock has often been called the Eighth Wonder of the World. However that may be, it has certainly been one of the world's most photographed rocks. Amazingly, the narrow pedestal supporting Balanced Rock has held the 700 ton weight for thousands of years