Columnar Jointed Rocks

　　The Hunan Town in Qujiang District is located 35 kilometers from downtown Quzhou and hides as many as 50 million columnar jointed rocks spread across an area of about 30 square kilometers. Some are buried deep underground, some are exposed above the surface, some are neatly arranged resembling massive "rice cakes," others soar into the air like clustered rockets, and some are so uniquely shaped they look like graceful "dancers." Even more astonishing is that where these columnar rocks break evenly, the resulting flat surfaces are as smooth and three-dimensional as floor tiles laid by a mason—truly a work of nature’s artistry.

　　　　According to geologists, the columnar jointed rocks in Qujiang formed during the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous periods, around 137 million years ago. At that time, eastern China was a vast landmass with coal-bearing terrestrial sediments, along with volcanic eruptions and magma activity. During intense crustal movements and active volcanism, streams of molten rock surged through fissures in the earth's crust. As the scorching lava gradually cooled, contracted, and crystallized, under the right conditions, the magma crystals fractured into regular, column-like structures. Massive numbers of these columns aligned, bundled, and stacked together, creating a spectacular world of stone pillars. Between these pillars are only extremely narrow gaps separating them one by one—geologists refer to these fissures as “joints.”

　　　　Most of the columnar jointed rocks in Qujiang stand upright, with a smaller portion tilting and some lying flat. The rocks are typically hexagonal in shape, though pentagonal and octagonal formations also exist. Their colors are mostly reddish-brown, though some are bluish-gray. The diameter of the columns generally ranges from 35 to 80 centimeters, with the largest discovered reaching up to 140 centimeters. Heights vary from a few dozen centimeters to tens of meters. Based on the area covered, geologists estimate that there are roughly 50 million columnar jointed rocks between Hunan Town and the Wuxi Reservoir dam. The abundance, density, preservation, and sheer scale of these volcanic rock primary columnar joints are truly rare. Their discovery has even overshadowed England’s “Giant’s Causeway,” making them of great scientific research and tourism value.