标签 玄武岩 下的文章
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。
黑沙滩上Reynisdrangar的玄武岩，冰岛 The basalt rock formations of Reynisdrangar on Reynisfjara Beach, Iceland (© Cavan Images/Getty Images)
黑沙滩上Reynisdrangar的玄武岩，冰岛 The basalt rock formations of Reynisdrangar on Reynisfjara Beach, Iceland (© Cavan Images/Getty Images)
Rising up from the black sand like rock gods
Any visitor to Iceland knows that driving the Ring Road rewards one with incredible changing landscapes. Today, we're taking a quick detour to visit this chiseled stretch of Iceland's southern coast, where black sand beaches meet spiky basalt sea stacks. This is Reynisfjara Beach, widely considered the most beautiful example of Iceland's black sand beaches. The sea stacks fronting the beach are known as Reynisdrangar and were formed when a volcano erupted, spewing flowing lava that cooled into these formations. Ask the locals how they formed, however, and you may get a different story, one involving trolls and a battle with a three-masted ship.
像岩石神一样从黑沙中升起
任何一个到冰岛的游客都知道，驾驶环城公路的人都会得到令人难以置信的景观变化的回报。今天，我们要绕道去参观冰岛南部海岸的这片轮廓分明的地带，那里的黑色沙滩与尖尖的玄武岩海交汇。这就是雷尼斯菲亚拉海滩，被广泛认为是冰岛黑沙滩最美丽的例子。海滩前面的海堆被称为雷诺斯德兰格，是火山喷发时形成的，喷发出的熔岩冷却成这些地层。然而，问问当地人他们是如何形成的，你可能会得到一个不同的故事，一个涉及巨魔和一艘三桅船的战斗。
