Science Fair Project Encyclopedia The Giant's Causeway is an
area of 40,000 tightly packed basalt columns resulting from a
volcanic eruption 60 million years ago. It is located along the
north-east coast of Ireland about 3kms north of the town of
Bushmills in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It was declared a
World Heritage Site in 1986, and a National Nature Reserve in
1987 (by the Department of the Environment for Northern
Ireland). The tops of the columns form stepping stones that lead
from the cliff foot and disappear under the sea. Most of the
columns are hexagonal, however there are some with four, five,
seven and eight sides. The tallest are about 12 metres high, and
the solidified lava in the cliffs is 28 metres thick in places.
While recent scientific research suggests the columns were
formed as a natural consequence of lava cooling,2 legend has it
that the giant Finn MacCumhaill (Finn McCool) built the causeway
to walk to Scotland to fight his Scottish equivalent
Benandonner. One version of the lege