As a professional soap maker, the science of bubbles both fascinates and delights me, so when an enthusiastic hiker recently described a spectacular geological phenomenon located up the road from our farm on Bluenose Mountain, I just had to learn more about this popular local attraction.
Arising over twenty meters from the forest floor, the polygonal basalt rock formations collectively known as the Aberdeen Columns are located due south above Lavington in the Aberdeen Plateau. Formed eons ago in the times of the dinosaurs, these hexagonal pillars of majestic basalt lava stone shoot vertically to the sky in a geometric orderliness that defies rational thought. More than 140 columns bearing a proliferation of lichen feeding on the volcanic minerals, create an iridescent yellow glow in the full sun’s exposure. The pillars arise majestically above the tree line above a bed of loose lava stone, a sight that will leave you breathless and marveling how such a miracle of nature came to be.
What do basalt columns have to do with bubbles, you ask? When igneous rock rapidly pours out of a volcano, it forms bubbles which solidify and contract as they lose heat, creating the basalt stone from which the pillars are formed. Initially, polygons take shape in the surface of the cooling lava, then as more heat is lost, the cracks in the surface spread deeper and deeper, forming regular and orderly columns of basalt that look man made but are in fact created by naturally occurring events. Rain, sun, and wind and organic matter enlarge the schisms in the rock’s surface, carving their way through the spaces formed by the bubbles in the lava.
Impurities affect the shape the lava seeks as it cools, resulting in pentagons (five sided) or heptagons (seven sided) but the most efficient pattern that nature prefers is the hexagon (six sided), and such is the case with the Aberdeen Columns. Hexagons are used throughout nature in insect eyes, snowflakes, beeswax formations and more, as they are the most efficient way to fill a space. Here on the farm, mud forms into polygons in a puddle as it dries quickly on a sunny day, and now I know why that is!
The Aberdeen Columns are an awe-inspiring phenomenon, a scientific masterpiece of creativity and artistic license at the whim of nature. Best visited between April and October, the columns are a five minute hike from the designated parking area, making it easy to access for young and old outdoor enthusiasts.
If you have an opportunity to explore the Lavington area, be sure to take a drive up to the Aberdeen Columns. While you are there, take a good look at a piece of basalt and marvel at how all the bubbles formed holes as the lava molded itself in new ways, forming something beautiful through the passage of time, creating something that brings such delight to our community!
Source: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/volcanoes/columnar-jointing.htm