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GIANT'S CAUSEWAY-IRELAND
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| Location: | Geographic coordinates: | Area: | Area - comparative: |
| Western Europe, occupying five-sixths of the island of Ireland in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Great Britain | 53 00 N, 8 00 W | total: 70,280 sq km | slightly larger than West Virginia |
| Population: | Languages: | Capital: | Currency: |
| 3,924,140 (July 2003 est.) | English is the language generally used, Irish (Gaelic) spoken mainly in areas located along the western seaboard | Dublin | euro (EUR) |
| Types of rocks: | Basalt (Igneous rock) |
Giants Causeway Co. Antrim - Giants Causeway situated on the Antrim coast is one of the wonders of the natural world, The Giants Causeway. This spectacular rock formation is made from thousands of columns of basalt rock. Approximately 60 million years ago underground volcanic explosions forced the molten basalt to the surface which as it cooled and contracted formed into the polygonal columns that are found in the area today. The columns form cliffs and irregular surfaces and the formation extends beneath the sea. the columns are so perfectly fitted together that only the smallest of cracks are visible between them. It was in this area that one of the ships from the Spanish Armada of 1588, the Girona sank.
© Guillermo Rocha, P. G. / Brooklyn College Geology Department