Fingal’s Cave, ScotlandScientists and geology students alike flock to this cave to study i
Fingal’s Cave, ScotlandScientists and geology students alike flock to this cave to study its surreal basalt formations, formed by the flow of lava approximately 60 million years ago. As the lava gradually solidified, the igneous rock cooled and contracted, creating cracks in a very unique pattern. Cracks grew in the efficient hexagonal shape as the lava cooled abnormally slowly and uniformly created hexagonal towers. The island of Staffa on which the cave is located is mostly comprised of these hexagonal columns. These neat walls comprised of basaltic columns extend 75 meters into the cave with the cave roof more than 20 meters above the sea floor. This geological phenomenon of basalt commons is very rare, although is seen in some locations around the world such as Mexico and California. Fingal’s cave is regarded as one of the most famous but least visited caves in the world.–Sam J.Image Credit: Jim Richardson, National GeographicReferences: http://www.sat.dundee.ac.uk/~arb/scotland/fingals.htmlhttp://www.geotimes.org/oct06/Travels1006.htmlhttp://www.atlasobscura.com/places/fingals-cave -- source link
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