Geologists speculate that the Old Man of the Mountain, formed by a retreating glacier during the last ice age, looked out over Profile Lake for more than 12,000 years. On May 3, 2003, the delicate balance that had held the "Great Stone Face" in position through the ages came to an abrupt end. The formation consisted of five slabs of Conway granite balanced one atop another. Hidden from the familiar northern view, a cavern about four feet wide behind the chin block ran almost the entire width of the face, and about 80% of the chin block hung out over the cliff. Only about two feet of the chin was anchored to the cliff, held there by the weight of the four slabs above it, whose positioning kept the chin block's center of gravity within that narrow span and allowed the profile to balance on its chin for centuries. Water damage eventually shifted the chin's center of gravity so that the chin block moved slightly forward past the cliff face and toppled down the cliff. With the chin gone, support for the upper lip and nose was removed, and the weight of those slabs, combined with chemical water damage sustained through the years, caused them to break and topple soon afterward. The unsupported forehead slab quickly followed, and the Old Man of the Mountain as it had been known was gone. A photograph taken shortly after its disappearance provides further evidence that water damage to the granite through the years caused the rocks to break and tumble rather than slide, and what appears to be dirt is actually granite that was "rooted" by water in local stone rich in reactive potash feldspar.

Photo: Larry Gertner

Photo: Larry Gertner

Photo: Larry Gertner

Franconia, New Hampshire · USA