#columnar jointing

[cannibalize]

columnar jointing looks fake as hell it's very funny

what do you mean, cooling lava cracks into tall regular hexagons? are they bees?

columns (geology) make nice benches. you might've sat on one without knowing

they're also on Mars btw. the igneous bees

[buffucker]

nice thick joints

[mountrainiernps]

Landscape Language

Andesite (noun) – a type of volcanic rock containing 54 to 62 percent silica and moderate amounts of iron and magnesium.  

Many of Mount Rainier’s lava flows are andesite. This type of lava tends to be moderately viscous and slow moving. The amount of silica in the lava differentiates it from other types of lava like basalt, which has 45 to 53 percent silica. The less silica a lava contains, the more fluid it is and less viscous, or “sticky”. As it cools, the andesite lava turns into grey rock that can fracture into columns, called columnar jointing. These formations are visible in several locations in the park, particularly along the Sunrise Road. (The Sunrise area typically opens for the season in July).

NPS Photo of columnar jointing along the Sunrise Road. ~kl

[quixoticanarchy]

things I did not expect to learn today: there’s a subset of conspiracist types who don’t believe in basaltic columnar jointing??? they think it’s just petrified trees and the idea that lava flows can cool in a geometric pattern is like.. propaganda by Big Geology

[earthstory]

h0rdur

Glacial Gates 🚶🏻‍♂️🌋✨

•

Hiked to this magical canyon today and was awarded with this view. Spent around 6 hours there and it was absolutely worth it! Just got back to the car and immediately did this edit! There was no reception by the canyon so I couldn’t post any stories

[stealth-science]

@expeditionersdiscoveryguild What’s a Volcanic Geology trip without a little columnar jointing? *Apparently we had permission to study the wall up close, do not attempt without proper supervision and permission*

[strangestaeon]

Brandywine Falls

[4cornersphoto]

Dead Tree and Shadows, Tuolumne County, CA by 4 Corners Photo Via Flickr: A single dead tree stands on a cliff in front of broken basalt at the Columns of the Giants in the Stanislaus National Forest in Tuolumne County, California.