The Giant's Causeway in Ireland. The Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland. The Legend of the Origin of the Giant's Causeway

The Giant's Causeway is what it's called unusual place on the shore Atlantic Ocean in Northern Ireland. There are 40 thousand huge basalt columns pressed tightly against each other. Their surface seems to form a giant path leading from the ocean to a large volcano.

It is thanks to the eruption of this volcano several tens of millions of years ago, according to scientists, that an unusual natural structure appeared. The unusual shape of the columns is explained by the chemical composition of the lava, which compressed as it solidified. Hexagonal stone pillars are the strangest structure generated by solidified lava. For a long time, scientists puzzled over why the rock acquired the appearance of polygonal pillars. Currently, the hypothesis is considered proven that this type is associated with the extremely slow cooling of the molten substance and its gradual compression. Scientists call this process similar to the drying of wet mud or clay, which also cracks and forms a bizarre pattern.

Most columns have six, seven or eight sides, and only one has three. Their height on average is about 6 meters. The pillars are pressed so tightly against each other that it is difficult to even insert a thin knife between them. total area unusual object, which is one of the most popular tourist places Ireland, is 4.5 thousand square meters (300 by 500).

However, the name “Trail of the Giants” tells us that the history of its appearance is also described in local legends. According to them, the road in ancient times, when the Earth was inhabited by huge people, was built by the Irish giant Finn Mac Cumal from his home on the coast to the fortress of his enemy, located in the Hebrides. Arriving at him, he discovered that his opponent was much larger and, therefore, stronger than him. Finn had to flee. Returning home, he asked his wife to swaddle him like a baby and lay him on the shore. Seeing such a “giant child,” his enemy thought that it was better not to meet the father of such a huge baby, and returned home, simultaneously destroying stone road across the ocean.

Whatever the origin of the Giant's Causeway, this place has long been considered one of the most picturesque in the world. It inspired more than one writer and artist to create romantic works. In 1986, the Giant's Causeway was included in the list World Heritage UNESCO, and a year later it became national reserve Northern Ireland.

The Giant's Causeway is known as the Causeway of Giants or the Giant's Causeway. This natural monument in Northern Ireland, which is a geological rock formation of about 40 thousand closely adjacent columns, mostly basalt. Flat-topped columns with a diameter of 30 to 50 cm, mostly having 6 sides (although 4, 5, 7 and 8-sided ones are also found), reach a height of 6 to 12 m and resemble a huge honeycomb from above.

The Giant's Causeway is located 3 km from the settlement of Bushmills and 100 km from Belfast on the Causeway Coast, with which it became a UNESCO world heritage site in 1986, and a year later - a national nature reserve of Ireland.

The Road of Giants is also called the road to nowhere, because in appearance it resembles a springboard, starting at the foot of a cliff, stretching 275 m along the coast and going 150 m into the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

Platforms and cliffs

The Giant's Causeway consists of three sites: the Great Trail and the Middle and Little Trail mounds. The columns are located around the cliffs, which received original names due to their shape (Harp and Organ Cliffs, Giant's Loom, Giant's Eyes, Giant's Coffin, Giant's Cannons). Also here you can find the Giant's Shoe - a 2 m high cobblestone.

Geological version of origin

According to geologists, the Causeway of Giants, like the Causeway, was formed without human intervention. A miracle of nature appeared as a result of the eruption ancient volcano approximately 50-60 million years ago. The molten basalt formed wide lava plateaus, which contracted and cracked as they cooled rapidly.

It took millions of years for it to rise from the ground. Due to the hardness of the volcanic rock basalt, rich in iron and magnesium, the soil is resistant to the destructive effects of waves and wind.

Mythical origin version

According to one legend, the Giant's Causeway is a bridge between Ireland and Scotland, built by the legendary Celtic hero Finn McCool to confront the one-eyed giant monster Goll. While Finn, tired of building the bridge, fell asleep, Goll moved to the other side in order to deal with his sleeping opponent.

His wife came to McCool’s aid, swaddling her husband and passing him off as her little son, who had allegedly only grown to his father’s waist. The monster imagined what size and strength the father of this child could be, and ran away in horror, destroying the bridge so as not to be caught up.

It is noteworthy that off the coast of Scotland on the island of Staffa there are similar basalt columns surrounding Fingal's Cave (the middle name of Finn McCool). The attraction became known back in the 18th century. thanks to watercolors by artist Suzanne Drury.

The Giant's Causeway is about 40 thousand closely spaced basalt pillars on the northeast coast of Northern Ireland. Their tops, like pavement cobblestones, lead in ledges from the foot of the coastal cliffs and gradually disappear into the sea. Most of the pillars are somehow incomprehensibly shaped like almost perfect hexagons. They, like pieces of a giant stone puzzle, stretch along the seashore for three kilometers.

For fifteen thousand years now, the Giant's Causeway has been resisting the unbridled storms of the North Atlantic here. For many centuries, the strange regularity of its stone columns forced local shepherds and fishermen to invent legends about it. They came up with their own story of its origin long before this secret was truly revealed by science.

Giant interethnic conflict

According to legend, the pillars extending into the sea are the remains of a road built by the Irish giant Fin McCool. He decided to build it after he was challenged to battle by a giant from Scotland named Benandonner.

To get to his rival who lived overseas, McCool began tearing off huge stones from the coastal cliffs and throwing them into the sea. Thus came the 25-mile road leading to Benandonner's lair, a cave on the Scottish island of Staffa. Now Fin could cross the North Strait along it and teach the insolent a lesson.

However, the construction of the road tired him so much that he decided to rest first - he returned home and went to bed.

The next morning, while Fin McCool was still fast asleep, his giantess wife was awakened by the sound of menacing footsteps. It was the huge and terrible Benandonner who was the first to use the new road and was approaching. When she saw him, she thought: “My husband will never be able to cope with this,” and quickly threw a blanket and a child’s cap over the sleeping man.

-Where is Fin? - Benandonner roared, approaching their house. -Where is this coward hiding?

- Be quiet, you'll wake our baby! – the wife answered, pointing to her sleeping husband.

Benandonner looked at the “child” and immediately panicked. If Fin's son was so big, then what would his father be like? The Scotsman decided not to find out and hastily retreated to his cave. Along the way, he destroyed the road built by Fin so that he could not catch up with him.

Legendary riddles and scientific answers

It was not without reason that the legendary Fin McCool built his road to the small island of Staffa. Folk legend chose this tiny piece of land because it is composed of the same basalt pillars as Northern Ireland's Giant's Causeway. The external similarity of the two places gave rise to a single explanatory myth.

Interestingly, from a scientific point of view, the basalt columns of Staffa and the Giant's Causeway actually have a common origin. It, of course, has nothing to do with the “showdown” of the legendary giants, and is due to the unity of their geological history.

The basalt pillars of the Giant's Causeway descend from the foot of the coastal hills and disappear into the sea.

The scientific world first learned about the Giant's Causeway in 1693, when Sir Richard Bulkeley of Trinity College Dublin reported it to the Royal Society of London. The news caused considerable confusion in educated circles of the time. This was the first time that science dealt with basalt pillars, and heated debate began over the reasons for their appearance. Some considered the Giant's Causeway to be the work of man, others - the result of unknown natural processes, and some were even seriously inclined towards the “giant” theory.

The first true idea about the origin of the Road appeared on the pages of the scientific press in 1768 in one of the volumes of illustrations for the epoch-making French “Encyclopedia”. As a commentary on the engraving with her image, the French geologist Nicolas Desmarais (1725 - 1815) suggested that volcanic cause her appearance. Later studies confirmed that he was right.

The Real Story of the Giant's Causeway

Today we know that the Giant's Causeway arose about 60 million years ago, when the separation of Europe and North America began.

During that period, as a result of the divergence of the Eurasian and North American lithospheric plates, gaps began to form in the earth’s crust, through which basaltic lava repeatedly poured onto the surface. As it solidified, it formed the huge Tulean lava plateau, the area of which scientists estimate is at least 1.3 million km 2 .

Subsequently, it was torn apart and hidden by the waters of the North Atlantic Ocean. Today its remains are scattered over vast areas from Norway, Scotland and Ireland to Faroe Islands, Iceland and eastern Greenland. The Giant's Causeway and the basalt pillars of Staffa Island are the most famous results of its formation.

In total, three phases were noted in the area of the Giant’s Causeway during the emergence of the Tulean Plateau volcanic activity. These are known as the lower, middle, and upper basalts and are separated by two long periods of relative calm when the surface of the erupted and solidified lava was eroded. The erosion of the oldest, lower basalt layer created the conditions for the formation of the Road.

During the first of these "erosive" periods water flows cut numerous valleys in the lower basalts. Later, when the lava of medium basalts poured out, its huge masses accumulated in these valleys and began to cool there very slowly. It was the low cooling rate that became the key factor in the appearance of the stone pillars of the Giant's Causeway.

The Giant's Causeway going out to sea. Similar basalt pillars are found on the Scottish island of Staffa on the other side of the North Channel.

As scientists have found out, when basalt contracts during slow cooling, it begins to crack. In most cases, cracks form at an angle of 120°, since this releases the greatest amount of excess surface energy at the interfaces. This is how hexagonal horizontal sections of future basalt columns are formed.

As the cracks cool, they move from the surface deeper into the massif. Their length depends on the thickness of the basalt layer: the thicker it is, the longer the pillars are formed. Highest height The columns of the Giant's Causeway are 12 meters long, and this is far from a record. In exceptional cases, such as in the American state of Wyoming, they can reach a hundred or even more meters in height.

The thickness of the columns is also mainly determined by the cooling rate: the lower it is, the larger the diameter of the columns. The average thickness of the pillars of the Giant's Causeway is 30 cm.

Approximately two million years after the formation of the pillars, new eruptions occurred in the area of the future Giant's Causeway. Their result - a layer of upper basalts - was not massive enough to generate its own stone columns, but it was quite enough to hide the existing ones for a long time.

A hexagon is the most common cross-sectional shape of basalt pillars, since the angle between its adjacent sides is exactly 120°. Columns with a different number of faces are formed less frequently.

See the light again future Road The giants were helped by glaciers. During the last glacial maximum, they “scraped off” the later geological layers that covered it and exposed basalt columns. Then, when the glacier began to retreat about 15 thousand years ago, sea levels rose and the Giant's Causeway took on its current form.

World Heritage Site

Since the Giant's Causeway is an exemplary example of processes related to the geological evolution of the Earth, and at the same time is also associated with cultural heritage Northern Ireland, it is protected by numerous conservation statuses.

The most significant of these is the UNESCO World Heritage Site status awarded to the Giant's Causeway and the adjacent Causeway Coast in November 1986. In addition, the Road along with the coast is state reserve, and is also part of one of the so-called “areas of special scientific interest”.

On the way to the Road

Over the past 300 years, the Giant's Causeway has become one of the symbols of Northern Ireland and its most popular tourist attraction. The first tourists began to appear here almost immediately after Sir Bulkley’s “discovery”. In the 19th century, their flow became massive, especially after the construction of a hydroelectric tram line in the 1880s, connecting the Road with resort town Portrush.

Today on the Giant's Causeway every year people click their camera shutters great amount tourists. In 2014 alone, 788 thousand visitors from all over the world visited here.

Getting to the famous basalt pillars is not difficult. The Giant's Causeway is located in County Antrim, 3.2 km from the village of Bushmills. A trip here on private car from Belfast it will take 1 hour 25 minutes, from Derry – 1 hour 10 minutes, from Dublin – 3 hours 45 minutes.

You can use public transport: Take the train from Belfast or Derry to Coleraine. Further – 17.7 km by bus.

Another close-up of the basalt pillars of the Giant's Causeway.

The Causeway Coast is open all year round without any time restrictions. Four convenient walking paths lead to the faceted pillars from the official entrance. A walk along them, as well as along the coast itself, is free. If desired, you can pay triple additional service: visiting a new tourist center(opened in July 2012), an audio guide in 9 languages (including Russian) and a booklet diagram.

For centuries now, the rugged symmetry of the basalt pillars of the Giant's Causeway has never ceased to intrigue and inspire visitors. Walking through it is like traveling back in time. Its steps lead simultaneously to the creative cataclysms of the million-year-old past and to the foggy legends of Irish antiquity. Without a visit here, no trip to Northern Ireland can be considered complete.

River bent into an arc

At first glance at this sharp bend of the Colorado River in northern Arizona, USA, it becomes clear where its name - Horseshoe - comes from. With its almost perfectly symmetrical 270 degrees of turn, this river meander really does look a lot like a horse’s “shoe.” The unusual shape, picturesque cliffs more than 300 meters high and comparative accessibility made the Horseshoe extremely popular tourist site. Today it is one of the most recognizable and frequently photographed natural landmarks in the southwestern United States.

How to bend an entire river into an arc

Geologists believe that the Arizona Horseshoe arose about 5 million years ago, when, as a result of the tectonic uplift of the Colorado Plateau, the ancient Colorado River on the border of the future states of Arizona and Utah was forced to adapt to the new terrain. Following faults in the local sandstone massifs, she gradually carved an entire canyon into them. Today it is known as the Glen, and the Horseshoe is its most intricately curved section.

The color of the rocks and water at Horseshoe changes throughout the day. Some of the best shots are taken at sunset.

In 1963, the canyon was almost completely flooded by the waters of the huge Powell Reservoir. It retained its original appearance only in the southernmost part, about 24 km long (where, in fact, the Horseshoe is located).

By the way, Glen is the northern neighbor of the famous Grand Canyon, which has a very similar geological history.

Easily accessible beauty

Horseshoe is one of those few phenomenal beautiful places, which can be reached by travelers with almost any physical ability. It is located just 6.5 km southwest of the Arizona town of Page, from which Highway 89 leads to the bend. A dirt road turns off from it between mileposts No. 544 and No. 545, and then almost immediately there is a special parking lot and the beginning of a walking trail. A short climb to a small gazebo on the hill, then a gentle descent - and the mighty curve of the Horseshoe opens before your eyes.

Generally walking a round trip distance of about a couple of kilometers takes about 45 minutes.

You can go to the Horseshoe all year round, permits and individual tickets there is no need to visit her. You will only have to pay for access to the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, on whose territory the Horseshoe is located. Access costs $25 per private vehicle and is valid for up to seven days.

It is prohibited to litter, disturb wildlife in any way, or leave marks in the National Recreation Area. You can walk dogs on a short leash (no longer than 1.8 m).

When going to the Horseshoe, it is recommended to take with you more water(at least 1 liter per person), as well as sunglasses and a hat, since there is no shade on the trail except for the gazebo halfway. For those who are interested in photography, a wide-angle lens is a must—without it, the scale of the Horseshoe simply cannot be captured. Of course, you should be careful observation deck– there are no railings or fences on it.

The elevation above sea level at the Horseshoe Lookout is 1,285 m. The elevation above the Colorado River is just over 300 m. There are no guardrails, so caution must be exercised. In July 2010, a tourist from Greece fell here and died.

From the point of view of the beauty of the landscape best time to visit the Horseshoe - from about 9:30 am (when the river gets rid of the thick shadow) until noon. At noon itself, due to the lack of shadows, the view of the famous bend will be somewhat flat. The evening until sunset inclusive is also a good option, but in this case the sun will shine in your eyes.

There are several other first-class attractions located in relative proximity to the Horseshoe. Thus, directly north of Page is the impressive wall of the Glen Canyon Dam, 220 meters high, beyond which the Powell Reservoir begins. 45 km west of Horseshoe lies the famous Arizona Wave - a sandstone rock formation of absolutely incredible beauty. And 12 km in reverse side(that is, to the east) is the no less famous Antelope Canyon.

And finally, southwest of the bend, downstream the Colorado River begins Grand Canyon– one of the most unusual and impressive geological objects globe.

Remarkable fresh

At the top of one of the taiga-covered mountain ranges of the Gremyachinsky region Perm region there is a powerful rock mass cut by deep cracks. Large and not so large crevasses crossing it crosswise form a bizarre labyrinth, reminiscent of the streets, alleys and squares of some long-abandoned settlement. This is the so-called Stone Town, one of the most popular tourist places in the modern Kama region.

Three names for one place

Today, Stone Town is widely known not only to Perm residents, but also to many guests of the region. Despite the remoteness, a constant flow of travelers comes here all year round. However, this was not always the case: a couple of decades ago, only a few people knew about the Stone Town. local residents, and even then under completely different names.

Cracks in the rock mass of Stone Town form a network of large and small “streets”.

The fact is that modern tourists called this place Stone Town, but earlier for half a century it was called “Turtles”. This name was given to it in the middle of the 20th century because of the characteristic shape of the two highest rock outcrops by the residents of the neighboring mining villages of Shumikhinsky and Yubileiny, founded in 1953 and 1957, respectively. However, this name was not the original one: old-timers of the “oldest age” settlement In this area - the village of Usva - these rocky outcrops have long been known as the Devil's Settlement.

This name is not uncommon for Ural toponymy. Not far from Yekaterinburg, for example, there is a spectacular mountain of the same name, very popular among tourists and climbers. In addition, objects with a similar name are found in other regions of Russia, since it was customary to call rock massifs and stone ridges of unusual shapes “devil’s fortifications.” It is obvious that people, not knowing the true geological reasons, attributed their construction to evil spirits.

History of appearance

How did the Perm Stone City actually arise?

Scientists have found that 350 - 300 million years ago there was a delta in this place large river. Its mighty streams brought with them large masses of sand, which over time turned into powerful sandstone deposits. Later, as a result of the movement of tectonic plates that caused the formation Ural mountains, the territory of the future Stone City turned out to be raised high above sea level and began to be weathered.

Quartz sandstone of Stone Town. The brown color is due to the admixture of iron hydroxides.

Over many millions of years, water, wind, temperature changes and chemical processes have deepened and expanded the cracks in the rock that appeared during the tectonic uplift. This led to the emergence of the current “streets” and “alleys”, the width of which is this moment can reach eight and depth – twelve meters. In other words, from a scientific point of view, the Permian Stone City is a cluster of weathering remnants composed of fine-grained quartz sandstones.

Road to Stone Town

Considering the great popularity of the Stone Town today, it is difficult to believe that it is not even mentioned in the old guidebooks to the Kama region. Nevertheless, this is so - the rush demand for the Gremyachin remains has appeared among Perm travel enthusiasts only in the last fifteen to two decades, and before that they were due to poor transport accessibility were practically unknown to the mass tourist.

Fortunately, the situation has changed since then, and today you can easily get to Stone Town by car. The general route is as follows: first the road to Usva (188 kilometers from Perm, 383 from Yekaterinburg), then about another two kilometers along the highway towards Kizel. Then turn right to the villages of Shumikhinsky and Yubileiny and five kilometers along the forest dirt road to the parking lot. Further, turning left from the road, about a one and a half kilometer march along a clearly visible path and among the trees the first remnants of the Stone City will begin to be visible.

At the top of the Rudyansky mountain

Since Stone Town is located near main peak mountain range Rudyansky Spoy (526 meters above sea level), the trail from the dirt road to the outcrops goes up a small slope. The ridge begins on the outskirts of the village of Usva and stretches 19 kilometers north to the city of Gubakha. It was named Rudyansky because of the Rudyanka River flowing in its southern part, in the basin of which iron ore was mined at the beginning of the 19th century. Spoys in the Perm region used to be the name for long, forest-covered mountain ranges without sharply defined peaks.

Rocky outcrop Turtle – main symbol Perm Stone Town.

The stone city (not counting the numerous single stones scattered around it) is divided into two unequal parts. The first rock outcrops that tourists come to belong to the so-called Big city. It is in it that the two largest local remains rise - the Big and Small Turtles, because of which the Devil's Settlement changed its name in the 1950s.

The smaller of these remains, due to its similarity in shape to a sitting bird, is today better known to tourists as the Feathered Guardian. The larger one, accordingly, is now more often called simply Turtle. Between him and the Feathered Guardian there is a vast and almost horizontal area - the so-called Square. Tourists get to it along Prospect, the widest (up to four meters) and longest crack in the Stone City. The almost vertical walls of Prospect reach eight meters in height in some places.

The feathered guardian, like the Turtle visible behind him, often becomes the object of annual rock-climbing competitions held in Stone Town between rescuers of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, mountain tourists and speleologists of the Perm region.

To the right and left of the Prospect there are narrow cracked streets. One of them (the one that goes around the Turtle) has the highest – up to 12 meters – walls in the city. Along the other two you can rise above the rock mass and from there you can see both the Stone Guard and the Turtle in all their glory.

About 150 meters north of the Big City is the Small City. Despite its much smaller area compared to its neighbor, it is also very interesting and picturesque. Its main “street,” for example, is even more spectacular than the Avenue described above. In addition, there is a curious stone ridge with a through hole in the base. The only problem is that there is no clear path to the Small Town and it is not always easy to find.

You can come to Stone Town at any time of the year, but it is especially beautiful here on sunny autumn days. At this time, you can wander endlessly through its streets immersed in bright colors. That is why at the end of August and at the beginning of autumn there is the largest influx of visitors in the Stone Town.

However, many tourists come here in winter, when both the outcrops themselves and the trees growing right on them are effectively covered with snow-white caps of snowdrifts. Therefore, when going to Stone Town in the winter months, you should not be afraid that the local trails will be impassable due to deep snow. They will certainly be well trodden by groups of previous visitors.

The stone city is located immediately west of the main peak of the Rudyansky ridge. From here you can enjoy unforgettable views of the endless ocean of the Ural taiga.

Before visiting the Stone Town, you need to stock up on water, since there are no large water sources. Also, since since 2008 this landscape natural monument of regional significance has received the status of a specially protected natural area, certain rules of behavior must be followed.

Firstly, you can make fires in Stone Town only in specially equipped places, using only dead wood and dead wood (cutting down living trees and shrubs is prohibited). Secondly, you cannot litter and leave unextinguished fires behind. Thirdly, it is prohibited to disturb animals and make inscriptions on rocks, stones and trees. Violation of these rules threatens with a fine of up to 500 thousand rubles.

Stone Town is not the only natural attraction in the vicinity of the village of Usva. Not far from it there is, for example, such a “flagship” tourism industry Perm region, like the Usva Pillars - a huge and extremely photogenic stone ridge with a picturesque outcropping Damn finger. Rafting on the Usva River is also very popular among Perm residents.

In general, similar Stone Town weathering remains associated with selective destruction mountain ranges, are one of the most spectacular geomorphological objects of the Kama region. There are especially many of them on the flat peaks of the Northern Urals, such as the Chuvalsky Kamen, Kuryksar, Listvennichny ridges and on the Kvarkush plateau.

The Giant's Causeway is an impressive rock formation on the Antrim coast of Northern Ireland. The site consists of approximately 40,000 basalt columns rising from the sea. The Giant's Causeway is the only UNESCO World Heritage Site in Northern Ireland.

The unusual formation arose as a result of natural processes during the Paleogene (65-23 million years ago), when Northern Ireland was subject to powerful volcanic activity. During this period, molten basalt came into contact with chalk layers, forming a lava plateau. As the lava quickly cooled, the plateau shrunk and cracked, forming 40,000 hexagonal columns of varying heights that look like giant steps. The height of the largest of them is almost 11 meters.

Legend

Popular mythology attributes the creation of the dam to an Irish giant named Fionn mac Cumhaill (or Finn MacCool). To prove his superior strength and status, Fionn decided to fight a rival, a Scottish giant named Benandonner. Since there was no boat large enough to carry the huge Finn across the sea to confront Bennandonner, he built his own path of steps from Ireland to Scotland.

However, when he crossed the sea, he saw how big Bennandonner was. He ran back to Ireland before Bennandonner saw him, but the dam was built and Bennandonner came to fight. Fionn climbed into the crib and when Bennandonner came to the door to confront him, his wife told him not to wake the baby. Seeing how big "baby" Fiona was, Bennandonner became frightened and ran back to Scotland.

Although the phenomenon of basalt columns is relatively rare, there are several examples of such rock formations found around the world, including in Scotland, Los Prismas Basalticos in Mexico and Devil's Postpile in California.

About 40 thousand huge stone columns are so closely adjacent to each other that it seems that some giant - a hero of Irish myths and legends - installed them here. The diameter of these pillars is from 30 to 50 centimeters, they have smooth tops and several edges (the quarter has five, the rest have four, seven and even nine corners). The Giant's Causeway (or as it is also called, the Giant's Causeway) is located in Northern Ireland near the small town of Bushmills. It encircles the cliffs that are located on the Causeway Coast, and then gradually goes under water towards Scotland.

The scale of this amazing place is amazing. If you look at the Giant's Causeway from above, it really looks extremely similar to a stone-paved road that stretches along the coast for 275 meters and goes into the Atlantic for another hundred and fifty meters.

The average height of the pillars is approximately six meters, although it is not uncommon to see columns twelve meters high. If you look at them from above, they are somewhat reminiscent of a honeycomb, since they organize hexagons between themselves that are so close to each other that it is quite difficult to insert even a thin knife between them.

Absolutely all the pillars are dark in color and incredibly hard - scientists explain this natural phenomenon by the fact that they consist mainly of basalt rich in magnesium and iron, which also has a small amount of quartz. Thanks to this composition, the columns are able to successfully withstand the destructive effects of winds and stormy waves of the Atlantic Ocean.

The columns of the Giant's Causeway in Ireland form three groups of sites:

Big trail. The columns of this group are the largest and begin near rocky mountains. At first they look like a cluster of huge stone steps, some of which reach up to six meters in height. Closer to the water, the steps gradually level out until they begin to form a stone-covered path, the width of which is from 20 to 30 meters.
Middle and Small trails. The pillars of these groups are located near the Great Path and are shaped more like mounds than a road. Since each of these pillars has a flat top, it is possible to carefully (especially near water, because they are extremely wet and slippery) move from one pillar to another.
Staffa Island. 130 km from the coast there is a small desert island Staffa (translated as “island of pillars”), on which there is a continuation of these columns. Between these pillars is the main attraction of the island - the huge Fingal Cave, which is about 80 meters long.

Cliffs

The columns themselves on the Causeway Coast are located around cliffs, to which people later gave rather original names. For example, two of them were named after the Harp (the columns from this cliff descend in a curved line to the coast) and the Organ (the straight and tall pillars that are located near it are very reminiscent of this musical instrument).

There are cliffs with such interesting names as the Giant's Loom, the Giant's Coffin, the Giant's Cannons, the Giant's Eyes. Here you can also look at the Giant's Shoe - a two-meter cobblestone that resembles this shoe (it was even calculated that the giant who wore such a product must have been at least 16 meters tall).

Chimneys of the Giant's Causeway

There's one more thing interesting place on the Giant's Causeway - chimneys, which several centuries ago frightened the already defeated "Invincible Armada".

This happened for a banal reason. Some pillars of the Giant's Causeway in Ireland not only tower on the coast, but also from the sea look like the chimneys of a huge castle. The Spaniards confused him with him and fired cannons at “enemy territory” - that is, absolutely deserted territory.

This story ended in tears for the Spaniards: their ship crashed on the rocks, and many people died. The treasures found from the ship, after they were raised from the bottom of the sea, can now be seen in the Ulster Museum, which is located in Belfast.

Legend

It is not surprising that the Giant's Causeway has its own legends and myths that explain its appearance and formation.

The ancient Irish believed that the Giant's Causeway was built by the Irish giant Finn Mac Cool in order to reach his sworn enemy, the Scotsman, who lived in the Hebrides, and fight him in order to decide who was stronger.

Further versions are slightly different from each other. According to one of them, seeing that his opponent was larger and more powerful than him, Finn ran away. And when he saw that the Scot was pursuing him, he persuaded his wife to swaddle him like a child and leave him to sleep on the shore. According to another version, while the Irishman was building a road, he was so tired that he fell asleep on the coast, and his wife, seeing that his rival was approaching, swaddled him and passed him off as a child.

In any case, having seen the huge “baby”, the Scottish giant decided that it was better not to mess with his father and ran away, and so that the Irishman would not catch up with him, he destroyed the path.

Studying

Interestingly, the Giant's Causeway became widely known only at the end of the 17th century, when the Bishop of Derry began to intensively advertise this amazing place. And at the beginning of the 19th century, tourists began to appear here en masse.

Despite the fact that this area has been declared a national nature reserve by the Northern Ireland Department of the Environment, there are absolutely no off-limits areas, and tourists can walk wherever they want and wherever they can get to. Tourists in this country quite like this fact.

The Giant's Causeway is unique in that, despite the fact that something similar exists in other parts of the globe, it is here that largest cluster similar pillars. It is not surprising that for many centuries scientists have debated how exactly the Trail arose.

Some of them claimed that the giant pillars were actually huge crystals that a long time ago arose at the bottom of the ancient sea. Others said the pillars were actually petrified bamboo forest.

Nowadays, most scientists agree that the largest lava plain in Europe once existed here. It was formed thanks to a huge layer of limestone, which is located under the territory of Northern Ireland. In ancient times, molten lava flowed through its faults during volcanic eruptions, which covered the earth with a layer of 180 meters, after which it began to cool and harden. But it did not become a shapeless mass because it was based on basalt.

After some time, during cooling, the lava began to slowly decrease in volume, and thanks to the basalt, hexagonal cracks formed on its surface. As the inner layers of magma began to cool, these cracks began to deepen and formed hexagonal columns.

This theory was confirmed by a group of scientists from Toronto, who, after experiments, were able to prove that the slower the magma cools, the larger the columns are. Thus, the secret of the appearance of such an amazing natural phenomenon How Ireland's Giant's Causeway Was Revealed... Or Not?

It might be useful to read: