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EARTH Magazine: Warring trolls explanation for mysterious basalt pillars revised

February 3rd, 2014
EARTH Magazine: Warring trolls explanation for mysterious basalt pillars revised
Clusters of moss-covered, two-meter-tall basalt pillars in Iceland's Skaelingar Valley remain from the Laki lava flow of 1783. Credit: Tracy Gregg

A complex interaction between lava and water, rather than a fight between mythical troll-beasts of lore, is responsible for the occurrence of rare terrestrial basalt pillars. EARTH Magazine uncovers the truth behind the pillars in the February issue. Despite regional tales of a fight between a pair of angry trolls resulting in the moss-covered basalt pillars, geoscientists from the University at Buffalo have determined that the pillars formed during a rare, nonexplosive lava-water interface during the 1783 eruption at Laki. Find out more about these pillars at http://bit.ly/MRSvJF.

Also read EARTH's a three-part feature series on the 2013 Colorado Front Range flooding and learn whether ancient mosquitoes also feasted on blood in the February 2014 edition of EARTH Magazine available on the digital bookstand, or by subscription.

Provided by American Geosciences Institute

Citation: EARTH Magazine: Warring trolls explanation for mysterious basalt pillars revised (2014, February 3) retrieved 14 March 2025 from https://sciencex.com/wire-news/152904166/earth-magazine-warring-trolls-explanation-for-mysterious-basalt.html
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