Columnar Joints Appreciation Thread

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Messages 1 - 49 of total 49 in this topic
RP3

Big Wall climber
Sonora
Topic Author's Original Post - Apr 18, 2014 - 04:59pm PT
One of my favorite geologic features to climb (and geologize about...)


Post up some more!
drljefe

climber
El Presidio San Augustin del Tucson
Apr 18, 2014 - 05:35pm PT
Here ya go rp3








Reilly

Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
Apr 18, 2014 - 05:38pm PT
A secret location in Washington...
NCAA XC Ski Champion, you can see it in his technique, can't ya?

OK, I guess it wasn't strictly columnar right there but it was basalt.
thebravecowboy

climber
in the face of the fury of the funk
Apr 18, 2014 - 07:24pm PT
thebravecowboy

climber
in the face of the fury of the funk
Apr 18, 2014 - 07:25pm PT
RP3

Big Wall climber
Sonora
Topic Author's Reply - Apr 18, 2014 - 07:55pm PT
Where is that, Bravecowboy?
chill

climber
between the flat part and the blue wobbly thing
Apr 18, 2014 - 08:04pm PT

Rockin' it Boise style
thebravecowboy

climber
in the face of the fury of the funk
Apr 18, 2014 - 08:32pm PT
down in them damn Grand Canyons
RyanD

climber
Squamish
Apr 18, 2014 - 08:34pm PT
Very cool.
Ghost

climber
A long way from where I started
Apr 18, 2014 - 11:15pm PT

WyoRockMan

climber
Flank of the Big Horns
Apr 18, 2014 - 11:34pm PT
Deto

kpinwalla2

Social climber
WA
Apr 18, 2014 - 11:47pm PT
Frenchman Coulee, WA
nscherneck

Trad climber
Redlands, CA
Apr 19, 2014 - 12:40am PT
telemon01

Trad climber
Montana
Apr 19, 2014 - 01:08am PT
tuolumne_tradster

Trad climber
Leading Edge of North American Plate
Apr 19, 2014 - 01:31am PT
Columbia River Basalts

Spider Savage

Mountain climber
The shaggy fringe of Los Angeles
Apr 19, 2014 - 09:43am PT
I grew up in the land of Columnar Basalt. That's some hard stuff in more ways than one.

Now just a soft CaliGranite man.
RP3

Big Wall climber
Sonora
Topic Author's Reply - Apr 19, 2014 - 09:54am PT
Its not just in basalt.....

Reeotch

climber
4 Corners Area
Apr 19, 2014 - 10:09am PT
Some of the best cracks in AZ are to be found at the Oak Creek Waterfall. Locals have been putting up a lot of new bolted and mixed lines up there lately. Super cool area!

couchmaster

climber
pdx
Apr 19, 2014 - 10:12am PT
Great shots! I'll add another one of Trout Creek. Good stuff if you're feeling strong:-)

OR

Trad climber
Apr 19, 2014 - 10:27am PT
Really cool stuff people! Keep it coming.
mooser

Trad climber
seattle
Apr 19, 2014 - 10:52am PT
kpinwalla2

Social climber
WA
Apr 19, 2014 - 11:44am PT
More from the Sunshine Wall, Frenchman Coulee, WA
kpinwalla2

Social climber
WA
Apr 19, 2014 - 11:56am PT
One more... Intracanyon flow of Columbia River basalt along the Snake River near Lewiston, ID. The cooling joints (cracks) that delineate basalt columns propagate perpendicular to the cooling surface into the interior of the flow. The cooling joints at the bottom thus propagated horizontally away from a vertical canyon wall while the cooling joints at the top propagated vertically downward away from the surface of the flow.
splitclimber

climber
Sonoma County
Apr 19, 2014 - 07:25pm PT
more vantage


chill

climber
between the flat part and the blue wobbly thing
Apr 19, 2014 - 11:31pm PT
... I'm a geologist...

Some times it is better to just look and appreciate without getting all worked up about the physical process.

But if a geologist doesn't "get all worked up about the physical process" then isn't he just a tourist?
tuolumne_tradster

Trad climber
Leading Edge of North American Plate
Apr 19, 2014 - 11:49pm PT
Ya Base104 but you probably think about the depositional environment
whenever you look at an outcrop of sedimentary rocks.
mike m

Trad climber
black hills
Apr 20, 2014 - 12:50am PT
gotta like this thread.
thebravecowboy

climber
in the face of the fury of the funk
Apr 21, 2014 - 01:57am PT
climbed with a fellow a few years back that was an early explorer of this stuff, and he just raved with joy about it.
fluffy

Trad climber
Colorado
Apr 21, 2014 - 08:54am PT
Great thread some of my favorite places are here. Almost shed a tear for the Forks.

Lower gorge @ Smith is also very good.

TFPU! Keep em comin!
mike m

Trad climber
black hills
Apr 21, 2014 - 11:48am PT
McCarthy North Face
mike m

Trad climber
black hills
Apr 21, 2014 - 12:04pm PT
Carols Crack first pitch 10aOne Way Sunset 10c tips to fingers first pitch to a second pitch(9) of the best continuously steep hands on the tower on the tower.
thebravecowboy

climber
in the face of the fury of the funk
Apr 21, 2014 - 12:50pm PT
rmuir

Social climber
From the Time Before the Rocks Cooled.
Apr 21, 2014 - 03:53pm PT

(C'mon … You know it was only a matter of time before someone posted this…)
Darwin

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Apr 22, 2014 - 11:16am PT
Thank you rmuir. Someone had to do it, and one might even guess the OP was setting us up. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming. This is from the Tietons outside Yakima. I think it's the Crack House/Bend area. I'm climbing and it's Tony's photo.


Darwin

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Apr 22, 2014 - 11:21pm PT
oh, and:

kpinwalla2 (Kevin?): That is one of the coolest photos I've seen on supertopo. What you say about cooling planes, but still wtf!?

http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=2390396&msg=2390844#msg2390844
RP3

Big Wall climber
Sonora
Topic Author's Reply - Apr 23, 2014 - 01:18am PT
Columnar joints form perpendicular to the thermal gradient, which is typically parallel to whatever surface the lava is contacing (be it the ground or the air.) In the linked photo, the flow cooled against the bottom and sides of the canyon, resulting in that unique pattern.

In Owens River Gorge, the joints are often oriented radially around a pipe that was a conduit of hot gas from the bottom to the top of the deposit.

Cool stuff!
pc

climber
Apr 23, 2014 - 11:55am PT
I don't know....A lot of these places look like giant Russian Roulette games. I've had climbing dreams about being on a column that was calving.

thebravecowboy

climber
in the face of the fury of the funk
Apr 23, 2014 - 01:10pm PT

Sierra Ledge Rat

Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
Apr 23, 2014 - 04:23pm PT
Has anyone here ever done some technical rock climbing on Cabezon Peak in New Mexico? Unfortuantely, I don't have any photos, but we did a multi-pitch route there. The climbing was on columnar basalt, except for the last death pitch that was vertical, unprotected ash conglomerate.

LOVE the photos from Armenia.
Easy Wind

Trad climber
Oakland, California
Apr 23, 2014 - 04:35pm PT

Trout Creek is a special place.

Climbing golden pillars above dark fallen ruins.

And all hidden around the corner, high on the hillside. It sneaks up on you. After dodging rattlesnakes and chugging uphill you stop for a breather ... and there it is.

One of those patches of perfection on the Earth.
Watching the Deschutes flow towards Jefferson.
Huddling to avoid a snowstorm in the recesses of the rubble at the base.
Blazing calves on endless stemboxes.

Quite a spot!
thebravecowboy

climber
in the face of the fury of the funk
Apr 23, 2014 - 04:57pm PT
great image Easy!
fluffy

Trad climber
Colorado
Apr 23, 2014 - 05:20pm PT
they make great landscape elements too. installed this in my garden last summer.

Bad Climber

climber
Apr 23, 2014 - 07:05pm PT
Soooooo bitchin'! Keep the flow going.

BAd
brett

climber
oregon
Apr 23, 2014 - 08:56pm PT
...Deschutes flow from Jefferson.

I first went to Trout Creek when there were only 5 routes with anchors and we didn't know the grade of anything. The next two years were a very wonderful time of true onsite exploration. A special time at a special place.
Darwin

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Apr 26, 2014 - 01:10am PT

I have to admit to liking moosedrool's aesthetics and sense of humor ^^^
mike m

Trad climber
black hills
Apr 26, 2014 - 08:51am PT
if you look close you can see the remnants of the stake ladder. The first route put up on Devils Tower by a bad ass cowboy in the 1800's. It does plug up one sweet looking 300 foot long hand crack that is now off limits. Jack sitting on top of the 500 ft shear west face.
kpinwalla2

Social climber
WA
Apr 26, 2014 - 10:40am PT
Climbing the ends of horizontal columns on a Columbia River basalt dike, Blue Mountains, WA. Horizontal columnar jointing like this, which is common in dikes, is called "cordwood" jointing.
mouse from merced

Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
May 7, 2014 - 07:37pm PT
http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g186470-d1463489-i43060143-Paddy_Campbell_s_Belfast_Famous_Black_Cab_Tours-Belfast_Northern_Ireland.html#43060123
http://goista.com/giants-causeway-the-northern-irelands-only-unesco-world-heritage-site/
Darwin

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Nov 20, 2014 - 01:57pm PT
No, not buried at the bottom of page 4 (edit actually page 3) or whatever. This deserves better.

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