What is it?
Giant’s Causeway is an area in the extreme
north coast of Ireland (province of Ulster), near Scotland, which is composed
of 40 000 hexagonal columns of volcanic stone. It is also known as Clochán
na bhFómharach in Irish. The columns
are placed side by and some are 39 feet tall (12 meters if you have
listened to the DNL lesson). It is the result of a volcanic eruption. The site
is very large because its acreage is 173 acres. The area, which is situated in
the county of Antrim, was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986. It
is also the fourth greatest natural wonder in the United Kingdom. Giant’s
Causeway, which is the most popular tourist attraction of Northern Ireland, is
owned and managed by the National Trust.
History
Giant’s Causeway was formed between 50 and
60 million years ago, during the Palaeogene period, when Ireland was subject to
volcanic activity. During that period the basalt lava rose to the surface of
the Earth. There were many eruptions, which formed several layers. This lava
chilled and became a volcanic plateau of basalt. Then, it was eroded by the sea
and the columns became flat. However this phenomenon didn’t only occur in
Ireland but also in Scotland and in Iceland.
The Legend
ccralive.com
According to the legends there were two
giants. One lived in Scotland, his name was Benandonner, and the other one,
called Fionn mac Cumhaill, lived in Ireland. The two giants were enemies and
one day, the Irish decided to build a stone causeway between the two countries
to beat the Scottish. Yet he was afraid of Benandonner who was taller than him,
and he fled to take his wife’s advice, her name was Oonagh. She dressed her
husband up as a baby. So when Benandonner arrived she told him that Fionn was
her son so that the Scottish thought that the Irish was very strong and very
tall. He got frightened and he went back to Scotland and destroyed the causeway
to prevent his enemy from invading his territory.
What is the shape of the Giant’s Causeway
columns?
What is basalt and how had it been formed?
How did Fionn mac Cumhaill escape from
Benandonner?
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire