巨人堤道上的玄武岩柱，英国北爱尔兰 Basalt columns of Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom (© Olimpio Fantuz/eStock Photo)

巨人堤道上的玄武岩柱，英国北爱尔兰 Basalt columns of Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom (© Olimpio Fantuz/eStock Photo)

巨石中的巨石 Rocks rock!

International Rock Day

Today is International Rock Day and we're giving due respect to these geological wonders. It might seem odd to sing the praises of rock, but think about it. Rocks have been with humankind since the beginning. From tools to housing to weapons, they've been key to our survival. A period of our history was so reliant on rocks that it will be forever known as the Stone Age. We would not be where we are today without the many minerals found on our planet, so rock on!

To celebrate, we're going to focus on one marvelous rock in particular: basalt, the most abundant volcanic rock on Earth. Here at the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland, there are roughly 40,000 interlocking hexagonal columns of basalt formed after an ancient eruption. According to one Gaelic legend, however, this was built as a battleground for two giants, Ireland's Finn MacCool and Scotland's Benandonner. Another legend suggests MacCool built the causeway to cross the North Channel to meet a Scottish lover.

Revered as one of the United Kingdom's greatest natural wonders, the Giant's Causeway is one of the most popular tourist spots in Northern Ireland. If you can't make the journey, thanks to the way basalt naturally forms these polygonal columns, you could find some to construct a walkway of cobblestones to battle your own giants. At the very least, you'd have a sturdy rock that lasts the test of time.

国际岩石日

今天是国际岩石日，我们对这些地质奇观给予应有的尊重。歌颂摇滚乐似乎有些奇怪，但想想看。岩石从一开始就与人类同在。从工具到住房再到武器，它们一直是我们生存的关键。我们的历史中有一段时期是如此依赖岩石，以至于它将永远被称为石器时代。如果没有在我们的星球上发现的许多矿物质，我们就不会达到今天的水平，所以继续前进吧！

为了庆祝，我们将特别关注一种神奇的岩石：玄武岩，地球上最丰富的火山岩。在北爱尔兰的巨人堤道上，大约有40000个联锁的六角玄武岩柱，它们是在古代火山爆发后形成的。然而，根据盖尔人的一个传说，这里是两个巨人的战场，爱尔兰的芬恩·麦克库和苏格兰的贝南多纳。另一个传说是，麦考尔建造这条堤道是为了穿过北海峡去见一位苏格兰情人。

巨人堤被誉为英国最伟大的自然奇观之一，是北爱尔兰最受欢迎的旅游景点之一。如果你不能完成旅程，多亏了玄武岩自然形成这些多边形柱的方式，你可以找到一些用鹅卵石建造的走道来对抗你自己的巨人。至少，你会有一块坚固的石头，经得起时间的考验。