List of places with columnar jointed volcanics

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Basalt columns seen on Porto Santo Island, Portugal

Columnar jointing of volcanic rocks exists in many places on Earth. Perhaps the most famous basalt lava flow in the world is the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland, in which the vertical joints form polygonal columns and give the impression of having been artificially constructed.

Notable columnar jointed volcanics[edit]

Africa[edit]

Asia[edit]

Garni Gorge, Armenia
Curved columns of rhyolitic tuff at the Hong Kong High Island Reservoir
Interlocked basaltic columns at the top of Kavadia mountain at Dewas district in India.
Columnar basalts at Cape Stolbchatiy, Kuril Islands, Russia

Armenia[edit]

China (mainland)[edit]

  • Heiyuhe Columnar Joints (黑鱼河柱状节理) [Xianrenqiao (仙人桥)], Longchuan River (龙川江) & Black Fish River, Tengchong

Hong Kong[edit]

  • Basalt Island area, Hong Kong; including High Island Reservoir area, Hong Kong; although the High Island Reservoir is not basalt but rhyolitic tuff, rich in potash feldspar and quartz phenocrysts.

India[edit]

See also: National Geological Monuments of India, Menhirs in India, and Vijay Vittala Temple of 56 musical pillars

In India, columnars are found in several places across the volcanic traps such as 6.5 crore or 65 million years ago (Mya) old deccan traps in South India and 14.5 crore or 145 mya old Rajmahal Traps in Eastern India.

Karnataka
Madhya Pradesh
  • Kavadia Pahad columnars: Forest area near Bagli & Pipari village of Dewas District in Madhya Pradesh. The rock formation is at Kavadia Pahad which is a series of seven mountain ranges.[5]
  • Linga columnars: 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) south of Chhindwara city.
  • Narsinghpur columnar joints in Deccan Basalts near Narsinghpur.
Maharashtra
Telangana

Indonesia[edit]

Close up view of stones atop Gunung Padang
Panorama atop Gunung Padang

Iran[edit]

Japan[edit]

Malaysia[edit]

at Kg Balung Cocos, Tawau, Sabah
Basalt Columns exposed along a river in a remote place in Tawau, Malaysia
  • In Teck Guan Cocoa Village and in Giram River, Kampung Balung Cocos Tawau, Sabah, Malaysia.

Mongolia[edit]

Philippines[edit]

Russia[edit]

South Korea[edit]

Syria / Israel (disputed)[edit]

Meshushim River, with prominent hexagonal basalt columns

Taiwan[edit]

Thailand[edit]

Turkey[edit]

Vertically jointed columnar basalt of Basalt Rocks Natural Monument in Turkey

Vietnam[edit]

The Cliff of Stone Plates (Gành Đá Đĩa) near Tuy Hòa city, Phú Yên Province, Vietnam

Europe[edit]

Basalt columns in the Rhön, North Bavaria, Germany
Volcanic rock columns, Milos, Greece
Ponta da Ajuda, Azores, Portugal
Basalt rocks near Detunata Goală east of Bucium, Romania
Columnar jointing in the basalt of the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland
Fingal's Cave, Staffa Island, Scotland

Czech Republic[edit]

Faroe Islands[edit]

France[edit]

Georgia[edit]

Germany[edit]

Greece[edit]

Hungary[edit]

  • Badacsony
  • Bér
  • Szanda
  • Szilváskő
  • Hegyestű
  • Szent-György-hegy
  • Gulács
  • Haláp
  • Hajagos
  • Uzsa

Iceland[edit]

Italy[edit]

Portugal[edit]

Romania[edit]

Slovakia[edit]

  • Šomoška

Spain[edit]

Sweden[edit]

Ukraine[edit]

United Kingdom[edit]

North and Central America[edit]

Columnar jointing in the basalt of the Pain de sucre (sugar loaf) in les Saintes, Guadeloupe
La Concepción, Aculco, México
Basalt columns in the Mascota River, Mexico
Basaltic Prisms of Santa María Regla in Huasca de Ocampo, Hidalgo
Columnar basalt at Devil's Postpile in California
Devils Tower, Wyoming

Canada[edit]

Costa Rica[edit]

  • Bajo Rodriguez, San Lorenzo de San Ramon

El Salvador[edit]

  • Cascada Los Tercios, Suchitoto
  • Concepción waterfall, Aculco

Greenland[edit]

  • Qeqertarsuaq, Disko Island[21]

Guadeloupe[edit]

Mexico[edit]

Panama[edit]

  • Los Ladrillos, Boquete

United States[edit]

Oceania[edit]

Cape Raoul, Tasmania
Blackhead, Dunedin, New Zealand

Australia[edit]

Federated States of Micronesia[edit]

New Zealand[edit]

South America[edit]

Beyond Earth[edit]

Columnar jointed rocks in unnamed crater wall, Marte Vallis region, Mars. Image courtesy of the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, Arizona State University.

Several exposures of columnar jointing have been discovered on the planet Mars by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera, which is carried by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). Notable among them are formations in the Marte Vallis.[37]

Uses[edit]

A view of Gunung Padang

A likely Hindu-origin ancient site at Gunung Padang in West Java, Indonesia was built by horizontally laying basalt columns to form terraces on the slope of a hill and creating open-roofed chambers by erecting vertical columns. A now-ruined thirteenth-century religious complex called Nan Madol was built using columnar basalt quarried from various locations on the island of Pohnpei in Micronesia.

Hexagonal basalt was used to build retaining walls by early settlers in some places around Dunedin in New Zealand.

Gallery[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Udinmwen, E; Oden, M.I; Ukwang, E.E; Edu, E.S (2016). "Structural Geometry of Ikom Columnar Basalt in the Ikom – Mamfe Basin, Southeastern Nigeria". www.aiscience.org. Retrieved 2022-06-03.
  2. ^ Ntekim, E. E. & Adekeye, J. I. D. (2003). "Petrography and geochemistry of basaltic rocks from the northcentral part of Yola Basin, N.E. Nigeria" (PDF). Nigerian Journal of Pure and Applied Science. 18: 1430–1437. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-02-25. Retrieved 2016-02-18.
  3. ^ Grunert, Nicole (2000). Namibia: Fascination of Geology – A Travel Handbook. Windhoek: Klaus Hess. pp. 73–74. ISBN 99916-747-8-0.
  4. ^ Columnar Basaltic Lava, Coconut Island (St. Mary's Islands), Udupi District, Karnataka, Geological Survey of India.
  5. ^ "Rare rock formation found in Dewas". The Times of India. 24 December 2012. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  6. ^ Rare basalt columns found in village in Kolhapur, Business Line, 6 Sept 2018.
  7. ^ a b c d Telangana: 6.5 crore-year-old basalt columns discovered in Adilabad forest, Times of India, 9 Aug 2021.
  8. ^ Columnar basalt formations found in Asifabad forests in Telangana, Indian Express, 6 June 2022.
  9. ^ Po, Kimberly (27 April 2014). "H E L L O ♥ K I M M Y : Dunsulan Falls Of Bataan". Hellowkimmy.blogspot.com.
  10. ^ "Bataan Day Trip: Mount Samat and Dunsulan Falls Itinerary". Janegalvez.com. 27 February 2016.
  11. ^ "Bulingan Falls". ChoosePhilippines.com. 28 August 2013. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
  12. ^ "Мыс Столбчатый". www.webpark.ru. Archived from the original on 2019-04-06. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
  13. ^ ม่อนเสาหินพิศวง Wonderful Mountain Of Colunnar Archived 2012-07-17 at archive.today
  14. ^ Kölbl-Ebert, Martina; Colicchio, Stéphanie (2014). "The Boyabat Basalt Cliffs" (PDF). l'association de la Maison de la Géologie et de l'Environnement de Haute-Alsace. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
  15. ^ "Panská skála". Luzicke-hory.cz. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
  16. ^ "PSt04 - Pico de Ana Ferreira". geodiversidade.madeira.gov.pt.
  17. ^ Gobierno vasco. "Basaltos de Fruiz" (PDF). Inventario lugares de interés geológico en la comunidad autónoma del País Vasco (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  18. ^ La Gomera: basalt cliffs Los Organos, Commons.wikimedia.org
  19. ^ Hazelhurst, S Rennie (22 November 2012). Northumberland. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781107677500. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  20. ^ "Jaw-dropping geology from Strumble Head to Cardigan". National Trust. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  21. ^ Scott, Chris (31 October 2017). "The Grand Canyon of the Arctic Circle". CNN Travel. video by Effie Nidam, Diana Diroy and Chris Scott.
  22. ^ "México Travel Club". www.mexicotravelclub.com. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  23. ^ Callan Bentley (14 November 2011). "Compton Peak: superb columnar jointing". Mountain Beltway. American Geophysical Union (Blog). Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  24. ^ "Greenstone lava flows - National Park Service, Shenandoah National Park, Learn About the Park". NPS.gov. 26 February 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  25. ^ "GeoSights: Paul Bunyan's Woodpile, Juab County – Utah Geological Survey". geology.utah.gov. Retrieved 2018-09-07.
  26. ^ [1] Geology of the New York City Regions
  27. ^ File:Columnar basalt.jpg (Wikimedia Commons)
  28. ^ "Merriwa NSW Free Rest Areas". highwaytraveller.com.au.
  29. ^ "Sawn Rocks, Mount Kaputar National Park" (PDF). NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  30. ^ Mount Scoria culture
  31. ^ Ruined Castle - Panoramio
  32. ^ "Bunbury Basalt". Western Australian Museum. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  33. ^ a b "Black Head : Vegetation Condition After Quarrying" (PDF). Doc.govt.nz. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
  34. ^ "Basalt columns". chathamislands.co.nz. Tourism Chatham Islands. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  35. ^ "New Zealand Tramper - A community for good, keen trampers and hikers". Tramper.nz. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
  36. ^ The Pinnacles, Mt Somers on flickr
  37. ^ "Mars and Earth: Columnar Jointing". Earthobservatory.nasa.gov. 10 June 2009.
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