A breathtaking UNESCO World Natural Heritage site—legend says it's the footsteps of a giant

By MOOK Scenic Spots, compiled and reported
 
This spectacular, several-kilometer-long UNESCO World Natural Heritage coastline is said to be the footprints left by a giant. Towering rock formations along the shore are battered by fierce waves—a phenomenon that has continued for 50 million years.

The Giant’s Causeway is located on the Atlantic coast about 80 kilometers northwest of Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland. It consists of nearly 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, mostly hexagonal in shape, stretching along the shoreline for 8 kilometers.

The Giant’s Causeway extends in an orderly, stair-like formation into the sea, with its undulating pillars creating a surreal and awe-inspiring landscape.

About 50 million years ago, as the North Atlantic Ocean separated from the Eurasian continent, intense tectonic activity and frequent volcanic eruptions occurred. Volcanic activity was especially strong from western Scotland to eastern Ireland. Basalt lava flowed through cracks in the earth’s crust and poured into the sea. As it cooled, contracted, and crystallized, it fractured into the well-known, regularly shaped hexagonal columns we see today.

The cliffs near the Giant’s Causeway coastline average around 100 meters in height. Variations in the timing of ancient volcanic lava flows resulted in the uneven heights of the stone pillars. The tallest rise about 6 meters above sea level, while many others are submerged beneath it.