View allAll Photos Tagged BasaltColumns
Vík í Mýrdal's enormous Basalt Sea Stacks set against the the stunning Reynisfjara Black Volcanic Sand Beach. The columnar basalt is formed when a lava flow cools suddenly and contraction forces build up. Cracks then form horizontally and the extensive fracture network that develops results in the hexagonal formation of columns which are always upright, standing perpendicular to the cooling surface.
Reynisfjara black sand beach, Iceland
Black volcanic sands, smooth pebbles, unique rock formations, overall moody atmosphere and huge waves crashing on the shore!
Arnarstapi, Iceland
Bárður Snæfellsás was the settler of this area, half a troll and half a man, but his mother was human.
I really didn’t get to explore and photograph the basalt as much as I would have liked because the skua kept attacking me with a vengeance. I covered my head with my fleece jacket and cursed myself for leaving my umbrella in the car. They sliced across my head more times than I can count but as far as I can tell, they didn’t actually cut me open. It hurt, though, and it was unnerving, so I finally yelled, “Okay, okay! I’m leaving! Jesus Christ!” and stomped back to the car.
Basaltsäulen am Giant’s Causeway (Nordirland) / basalt columns at Giant's Causeway (Northern Ireland)
(edited with Plug-in Alien Skin Exposure)
This waterfall was a nice short hike in Skaftafell National Park. We got there a little late in the day so the light wasn't great, but I enjoyed the ice and snow in contrast to the warm colors of the basalt columns.
Svartifoss is a 20m (65 foot) waterfall.
From Wikipedia:
Svartifoss (Black Fall) is a waterfall in Skaftafell National Park in Iceland, and is one of the most popular sights in the park. It is surrounded by dark lava columns (aka basalt columns), which gave rise to its name.
Nikon D800
16-35mm f/4 Lens
We spent a bit over a week exploring southern France. From Lyon, to the Alps, then through Provence before wrapping up in the Ardeche.
These photos are from that trip.
For licensing or usage requests, please reach out directly.
I really didn’t get to explore and photograph the basalt as much as I would have liked because the skua kept attacking me with a vengeance. I covered my head with my fleece jacket and cursed myself for leaving my umbrella in the car. They sliced across my head more times than I can count but as far as I can tell, they didn’t actually cut me open. It hurt, though, and it was unnerving, so I finally yelled, “Okay, okay! I’m leaving! Jesus Christ!” and stomped back to the car.
We saw, but surely in the motley crowd
Not one of us has felt, the far-famed sight:
How could we feel it? Each the others blight,
Hurried and hurrying volatile and loud.
William Wordsworth, Cave of Staffa.
William Wordsworth worrying about the impact of tourism on the island!
A horizontal image of a man in red jacket standing on the edge of the cliff with beatuiful background of Aldeyjafoss waterfall, Iceland. Water flowing down the cliff of basalt rock, beautiful water in turquoise colors and evening sky with cloud.
Beautiful landscape of the basalt columns of Yellowstone with the Yellowstone River running through the valley beneath. Basaltic lava flow cracked into hexagonal columns as it slowly cooled creating the rock formation seen today. Quite a sight to see.
Basalt columns. The Village of Vik, Iceland. In 1991 this black sand beach that was ranked as one of the ten most beautiful non-tropical beaches in the world.
Colunas de basalto. A vila de Vik, Islândia. Em 1991 esta praia de areia preta que foi classificada como uma das dez mais belas praias não tropicais do mundo.
Saturday afternoons sunset showed a few minutes of brilliance. Pretty tricky to shoot into the sun at this time of the day given this side of the basalt columns appear really, really dark. To compensate, I shot 5 images 1 stop apart to bring out us much detail as possible during processing.
I really didn’t get to explore and photograph the basalt as much as I would have liked because the skua kept attacking me with a vengeance. I covered my head with my fleece jacket and cursed myself for leaving my umbrella in the car. They sliced across my head more times than I can count but as far as I can tell, they didn’t actually cut me open. It hurt, though, and it was unnerving, so I finally yelled, “Okay, okay! I’m leaving! Jesus Christ!” and stomped back to the car.
The Giant's Causeway (known as Clochán an Aifir or Clochán na bhFomhórach in Irish and 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.
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 (92 ft) thick in places.
Much of the Giant's Causeway and Causeway Coast World Heritage Site is today owned and managed by the National Trust and it is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Northern Ireland.
Around 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, contraction occurred. Horizontal contraction fractured in a similar way to drying mud, with the cracks propagating down as the mass cooled, leaving pillar-like 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.
According to legend, the columns are the remains of a causeway built by a giant.
The story goes that the Irish giant Fionn mac Cumhaill (Finn MacCool), from the Fenian Cycle of Gaelic mythology, was challenged to a fight by the Scottish giant Benandonner. Fionn accepted the challenge and built the causeway across the North Channel so that the two giants could meet. In one version of the story, Fionn defeats Benandonner. In another, Fionn hides from Benandonner when he realises that his foe is much bigger than he. Fionn's wife, Oonagh, disguises Fionn as a baby and tucks him in a cradle. When Benandonner sees the size of the 'baby', he reckons that its father, Fionn, must be a giant among giants. He flees back to Scotland in fright, destroying the causeway behind him so that Fionn could not follow.
Across the sea, there are identical basalt columns (a part of the same ancient lava flow) at Fingal's Cave on the Scottish isle of Staffa, and it is possible that the story was influenced by this.
Gerðuberg, Iceland, an impressive wall of beautiful basalt columns, forming geometric patterns in the cliffs. The columns are 14 meters at their highest.
During the cooling of a thick lava flow, contractional joints or fractures form. If a flow cools relatively rapidly, significant contraction forces build up. While a flow can shrink in the vertical dimension without fracturing, it can't easily accommodate shrinking in the horizontal direction unless cracks form; the extensive fracture network that develops results in the formation of columns.
These structures are predominantly hexagonal in cross-section. Slow cooling produces large columns like this.
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Svartifoss
Svartifoss (Black Fall) is a waterfall in Skaftafell in Vatnajökull National Park in Iceland, and is one of the most popular sights in the park. It is surrounded by dark lava columns, which gave rise to its name. Other well-known columnar jointing formations are seen at the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland, Devil's Tower in Wyoming, USA and on the island of Staffa in Scotland. There are also similar formations throughout Iceland, including a small cave on the beach of Reynisdrangar.
The base of this waterfall is noteworthy for its sharp rocks. New hexagonal column sections break off faster than the falling water wears down the edges.
These basalt columns have provided inspiration for Icelandic architects, most visibly in the Hallgrímskirkja church in Reykjavík, and also the National Theatre.
It's not clear to me at what point we arrived on Snaefellsnes Peninsula; 54 heads north from Borgarnes and then bends westward. Just before that bend happens, one reaches Eldborg, and a dirt road heads east towards the Eldborg crater. Along that dirt road are these fine basalt columns. Iceland
This is a basalt column cliff that I would have loved to have explored in depth. However, skua began attacking me and, coupled with the rain and my looming ferry departure time, I wasn't able to stay here very long.
Grímsey, the "Pearl of the Arctic Circle," is home to only 100 people--and more than one million seabirds.
This is a basalt column cliff that I would have loved to have explored in depth. However, skua began attacking me and, coupled with the rain and my looming ferry departure time, I wasn't able to stay here very long.
Grímsey, the "Pearl of the Arctic Circle," is home to only 100 people--and more than one million seabirds.
In the Jökulsárgljúfur National Park in north of Iceland there is an area called Hljóðaklettar (echo rocks). The entire national park around the Jökulsá á Fjöllum river impresses with its bizarre canyons and phenomenal rock formations. There are entire hills formed of basalt columns.
Panská skála rock, Prácheň, Czech Republic.
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INFO:
"Panská skála rock: National natural monument (NNM) – so-called “rock organ” situated near the village of Prácheň close to Kamenický Šenov. This rock formation consists of mostly vertical basalt columns (pentagonal or hexagonal in shape). In the 19th and 20th centuries, basalt columns were mined in the area. After the mining was discontinued, the mine pit was filled with rainwater to create a small lake, which is now a part of the NNM. The Panská skála rock has been a protected rock formation since 1895, which makes it the oldest geological preserve in the country. It is accessible for both hikers and cyclists." (Source: www.ceskesvycarsko.cz/)
Litlanesfoss (bottom) is a attractive waterfall near the half-way point of the climb to the Hengifoss waterfall (top) They are one of the most beautiful basalt column waterfalls you will ever see in Iceland. Hengifoss is said to be Iceland's third tallest waterfall at 118m. It's a hike about 1.2km from the car park.