8. Columnar Jointing


This photo was taken along the west side of the butte.
CLICK HERE to see a much larger versiion of this photo.

The photo shows the columnar jointing that is evident on the west side near the trail to the top. The "columns" formed as a result of "jointing" (cracking) that occurred as the magma hardened. As it hardened, it shrank and the newly formed rock cracked into the neat columns shown in the photo. CLICK HERE for a closer look at the columns (2.6 Mb image). Move your cursor over the image below to see the location of the photo shown at the top of this page (X). The yellow line marks the 5-6 mile hike that we did in April of 2011.

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9. A view from the cliffs of the butte