The Legend of the Giant's Causeway
The Giant’s Causeway tells a tale of two giants from Ireland and Scotland.
The Irish giant Fionn MacCool and the Scottish giant Benandonner were often feuding.
Fionn finally had enough of this continual taunting and decided to challenge Benandonner to a fight.
He built the Causeway across to Scotland and marched over to confront the Scottish giant.
When Fionn saw Benandonner and realised he was no match for him, he ran home frightened and asked his wife Oona to help him hide.
She cleverly disguised him as a baby and told him to jump in a cradle.
When Benandonner came looking for Fionn, his wife told him that Fionn had gone out to fetch some firewood.
Benandonner saw the rather large « baby » and imagined that the father must be even BIGGER.
He ran back to Scotland in terror and tore up the Causeway behind him so he wouldn’t be followed.
The Irish giant Fionn MacCool and the Scottish giant Benandonner were often feuding.
Fionn finally had enough of this continual taunting and decided to challenge Benandonner to a fight.
He built the Causeway across to Scotland and marched over to confront the Scottish giant.
When Fionn saw Benandonner and realised he was no match for him, he ran home frightened and asked his wife Oona to help him hide.
She cleverly disguised him as a baby and told him to jump in a cradle.
When Benandonner came looking for Fionn, his wife told him that Fionn had gone out to fetch some firewood.
Benandonner saw the rather large « baby » and imagined that the father must be even BIGGER.
He ran back to Scotland in terror and tore up the Causeway behind him so he wouldn’t be followed.
The formation of the Causeway
The Roadway of the Giants is a volcanic formation located on the coast of Northern Ireland.
It consists of 40 000 hexagons and pentagons of basalt.
40 MY ago, a fracture was created in Northern Ireland.
The magma went up towards the surface by this fracture.
On the surface, this magma forms a lava flow.
The lava cools very slowly and hardens to form a rock called Basalt.
When it hardens, the lava contracts: cracks appear on the surface.
These cracks are propagated in depth: the vertical columns are formed.
The figures are formed by a reduction in the volume of the lava, which retracts according to geometrical forms.
Why hexagons?
The cracking of the rocks requires energy; The longer one crack is, the more its energy cost is considerable. However, among all the geometrical figures on equal surface, a hexagon presents the smallest possible perimeter… Nature selects the least expensive form of energy: the hexagon.
The sea erodes, then the columns of basalt.
The columns closest to the shore are the most eroded.
After erosion, the surface of casting reveals a texture which is suitable for paving, made up of hexagonal elements, of different sizes.
The roadway has a staircase aspect, which is the reason for the current landscape
It consists of 40 000 hexagons and pentagons of basalt.
40 MY ago, a fracture was created in Northern Ireland.
The magma went up towards the surface by this fracture.
On the surface, this magma forms a lava flow.
The lava cools very slowly and hardens to form a rock called Basalt.
When it hardens, the lava contracts: cracks appear on the surface.
These cracks are propagated in depth: the vertical columns are formed.
The figures are formed by a reduction in the volume of the lava, which retracts according to geometrical forms.
Why hexagons?
The cracking of the rocks requires energy; The longer one crack is, the more its energy cost is considerable. However, among all the geometrical figures on equal surface, a hexagon presents the smallest possible perimeter… Nature selects the least expensive form of energy: the hexagon.
The sea erodes, then the columns of basalt.
The columns closest to the shore are the most eroded.
After erosion, the surface of casting reveals a texture which is suitable for paving, made up of hexagonal elements, of different sizes.
The roadway has a staircase aspect, which is the reason for the current landscape