Giant's Causeway - Legend, History, Similar structures, Notable features, flora and fauna

55°14N 6°30W. Volcanic basalt formation on the N coast of Co Antrim, Northern Ireland, UK, 11 km/7 mi NE of Portrush; a world heritage site; a natural ‘pavement’ of columnar basalt projecting into the North Channel, formed by the tops of thousands of small basaltic columns (usually hexagonal, diameter 38–50 cm/15–20 in), which resulted from the cooling of a volcanic flow; according to legend, the causeway was built for giants to travel across to Scotland.

The Giant's Causeway is an area of 40,000 interlocking basalt columns resulting from a volcanic eruption.

Legend

Legend has it that the Irish giant Fionn mac Cumhail (Finn McCool) built the causeway to walk to Scotland to fight his Scottish counterpart Benandonner. To protect Fionn, his wife Oonagh laid a blanket over Fionn and pretended he was actually Fionn's baby son (in a variation, Fionn fled after seeing Benandonner's great bulk, and asked his wife to disguise him as the baby.) In both versions, when Benandonner saw the size of the 'infant', he assumed the alleged father, Fionn, must be gigantic indeed.

The Scottish side of the causeway on the isle of Staffa has similar basalt formations at the site of Fingal's Cave that are part of the same ancient lava flow.

History

During the Paleogene period (62-65 million years ago), Antrim was subject to intense volcanic activity, when highly fluid molten basalt intruded through chalk beds to form an extensive lava plateau.

The "discovery" of the Giant's Causeway was announced to the world in 1693 by the presentation of a paper to the Royal Society from Sir Richard Bulkeley, a fellow of Trinity College, Dublin, although the "discoverer" had, in fact, been the Bishop of Derry who had visited the site a year earlier.

Similar structures

Although the basaltic columns of the Giant's Causeway are impressive, they are not unique. Basalt columns are a common volcanic feature, and they occur on many scales (faster cooling produces smaller columns). Other notable sites include Fingal's Cave in Scotland, the Garni gorge in Armenia, the Cyclopean Isles near Sicily, Devils Postpile National Monument in California, Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming, Basalt Prisms in Hidalgo, Mexico, and the "Organ Pipes" formation on Mount Cargill in New Zealand.

Notable features, flora and fauna

Some of the structures in the area, having been prone to several million years of weathering, resemble objects, such as the Organ and Giant's Boot structures pictured here.

Giant's Causeway cliffs.	The "pipe organ".	A plain of columns.	The Giant's Boot.
Basalt columns.	The shore.	The Causeway Coast.