Columnar Basalt (1991)

Basaltic lava from volcanic eruptions sometimes forms hexagonal columns as it cools. Erosion eventually crumbles and collapses the columns into oddly-shaped boulders. The Sheepeater Cliffs in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, is one of a relatively few places in the world with impressive basalt columns. You can see similar columns at Devils Postpile National Monument in the volcanic Mammoth Lakes area of California.

© 1991 by Ted R. Marcus
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