Islands of Basaltic Columns

With a trip to some basaltic columns in CA just around the corner, I am gripped by guilt.  I’m reminded of a post I promised to write a few years ago, one that’s been put off for way too long. It is only right that before I take you to Devil’s Postpile, I transport you to India’s West Coast — to a place called St. Mary’s Island. That was where I first saw these fascinating columns.

St. Mary’s Island is located off the Karnataka Coast — off Udupi, to be precise.  It was when we were in Malpe that we had a planned a trip to the island.  A half hour boat ride that began at Malpe Beach took us towards a set of islands better known as St. Mary’s Island.

From afar the islands looked like groups of stone pillars kept upright. As we approached the island I could clearly see those rocks that made up the landscape — they really did look very manmade and set up by human hands. But it is anything but that.

Nature’s Handiwork: Columnar Basalts of St. Mary’s Island

The basaltic rocks that make up the islands are a result of a geological phenomenon. A volcanic one at that. These basaltic columns or columnar basalts are actually igneous rocks. Basaltic lava, I learned has the tendency to form deep cracks when cooling down. And the cracking is so deep and systematic that it ends up forming polygonal columns. Fascinating, is it not?

Now maybe I should leave you to think about the process and marvel at the near-perfect shaping of these columns, millions of years ago.

While some rocks here have been weathered by the tides of the Arabian Sea, some of them still stand tall and well defined. It is amazing to see two forces of nature at work here and how the landscape might change over the next few decades.

Linking to
Our World Tuesday
&
Travel Tuesday

>> You might want to read the Malpe Post and see what you are in for when you opt for a ferry ride to St. Mary’s Island — Another Beach, An Island and a Beach On The Island

>>If you would like to see more from the Karnataka Coast — Beach Hopping on the KA Coast

If you, like me, are awe-struck by geological destinations, you are sure to get tipsy reading about, and seeing pictures of trips to these —
>Volcanic Sites
>Rock Formations.

(More posts of this kind have been queued up for publication, so keep coming back for more. ) Happy Tripping, until then. 🙂

For pictures from the road, Like/Follow Tipsy From The TRIP on  Facebook. Come, Trip with us.