GIANTS CAUSEWAY by GARAGELAND

Photography • Landscape • posted on Jan 16, 2013

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Description

The Giant's Causeway known as tha Giant's Causey in Ulster-Scots, is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption. It is located in County Antrim on the northeast coast of Northern Ireland, about three miles (4.8 km) northeast of the town of Bushmills. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986, and a National Nature Reserve in 1987 by the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland. In a 2005 poll of Radio Times readers, the Giant's Causeway was named as the fourth greatest natural wonder in the United Kingdom. The tops of the columns form stepping stones that lead from the cliff foot and disappear under the sea. Most of the columns are hexagonal, although there are also some with four, five, seven or eight sides. The tallest are about 12 metres (39 ft) high, and the solidified lava in the cliffs is 28 metres thick in places. Some 50 to 60 million years ago, during the Paleogene period, Antrim was subject to intense volcanic activity, when highly fluid molten basalt intruded through chalk beds to form an extensive lava plateau. As the lava cooled rapidly, contraction occurred. Horizontal contraction fractured in a similar way to drying mud, with the cracks propagating down as the mass cooled, leaving pillarlike structures, which are also fractured horizontally into "biscuits". In many cases the horizontal fracture has resulted in a bottom face that is convex while the upper face of the lower segment is concave, producing what are called "ball and socket" joints. The size of the columns is primarily determined by the speed at which lava from a volcanic eruption cools. The extensive fracture network produced the distinctive columns seen today. The basalts were originally part of a great volcanic plateau called the Thulean Plateau which formed during the Paleogene period. Well worth the visit. Zoooom for more detail. Have a nice day.

Comments (17)

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wysiwig

2:16AM | Wed, 16 January 2013

Excellent view of this. It does look man made.

alanwilliams

2:29AM | Wed, 16 January 2013

superb detail and a wonderful angle showing the true grandeur of this famous place

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Chipka

2:54AM | Wed, 16 January 2013

Stupendously gorgeous! I'm always reminded of the climactic scene in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, when the Enterprise and her crew come face to face with the cause of the special effects extravaganza that the ship had to fly through for most of the movie. V'ger, (at the time of the movie, the Voyager space probes were brand spankin' new and so what sci-fi screen writer could pass up the opportunity to put "Voyager 7" in a script?) Anyway, V'ger, the actual entity itself (complete with gold record!) sat nestled in the middle of a big, giant set, shamelessly stolen from (er, I mean inspired by the Giant's Causeway. Only we weren't supposed to know that.) I don't really know what any of that has to do with the above image, except for the fact that those basalt formations are the inspiration for numerous science fictional environments...interestingly enough, most of those science fictional renditions aren't half as interesting as the actual science explaining how something like this formed. This is a superb capture of one of the most interesting spots on Earth! What a story those pillars could tell! Geological drama at its most dramatic!!!! Lava/magma is such a tempestuous beast isn't it?!

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photosynthesis

3:15AM | Wed, 16 January 2013

Amazing that these were formed by natural forces - nature has it's own special geometry. Great shot & thanks for sharing...

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jayfar

3:29AM | Wed, 16 January 2013

A super shot and somewhere that I would love to visit, great info too.

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blinkings

3:41AM | Wed, 16 January 2013

Thanks for posting this. It's a place that I have never visited.

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Juliette.Gribnau

4:03AM | Wed, 16 January 2013

awesome place and capture

BorisB

4:13AM | Wed, 16 January 2013

Really impressive!!

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knupps

4:15AM | Wed, 16 January 2013

Wow, thats a strange looking stone formation. Great capture.

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JohnDelaquiox

7:45AM | Wed, 16 January 2013

Ahh the Fibonacci Hexagon, Fantastic!

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durleybeachbum

8:08AM | Wed, 16 January 2013

An angle I haven't seen before. Marvellous.

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cfulton

1:52PM | Wed, 16 January 2013

Memories! It looks like you had better weather than when I was there. I love the cove enclosed by the basalt - definitely a must see sight. Clive

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MrsRatbag

2:05PM | Wed, 16 January 2013

One of the best shots of this wonderful spot that I've seen; what a fascinating landscape it is! I desperately want to experience it myself. Maybe one of these days...

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sandra46

5:33PM | Wed, 16 January 2013

VERY BEAUTIFUL

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jocko500

8:58PM | Wed, 16 January 2013

I read a big giant put them there as he could not swim lol that legend. what happen in nature is more the truth. first time i saw a photo of this place.

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