Columnar basalt is volcanic rock, and it forms when the lava cools! After lava cools, the rock shrinks and forms into a uniform column-like structure like in the picture!
The basalt is very tall and uniform, and is usually brown or beige in color. It's forms straight up and down in columns, so it looks a bit like a cliff. On the top is flat, and sometimes has grass or trees, but it is also possible for it to just be plain rock on the top! A lot of times, these form by the sea so you can't get very close to them. On Penghu though, we have them a bit inland, so you can get really close!
I felt really amazed when I saw it for the first time! It's really tall and expansive. Because of how uniform it is, it looks manmade. The columnar basalt is a very popular tourist sight in Penghu. Many people from all over Taiwan come to Penghu to see it. When I ran the cross-sea half marathon, we ran through a park with columnar basalt. Everyone that was from out of town was stopping to take pictures with it! It is a very cool sight, I hope you all can see some columnar basalt some day!
