Thursday, December 27, 2007

Paddling past pillow lava at Downan Point


As we paddled past Downan Point, on the south Ayrshire coast, we came across ancient lava floes where the cliffs tumbled into the sea.


On closer inspection we found the basalt rocks to be in a form called pillow lava. These pillow lavas date from the Caradoc age of the late Ordovician period, some 450 million years ago. At that time sea levels were much higher than today and these lavas were formed when they oozed from a volcanic vent which was under water. Despite their great age, these pillows look as fresh as any contemporary pillow lavas found on Hawaii.

2 comments:

  1. Wonderful lines in that top image. Love your stuff.

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  2. Thank you Silbs :o) Mind you the lines of that coast are so beautiful thast you just need to point and shoot. One thing I always try to do is to wait until the paddle angles suoit the composition.

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