Gerduberg (Gerðuberg) Basalt Columns
Gerduberg (Gerðuberg) Basalt Columns
This large wall of basalt columns just off road 54 is so impressive and uniform it looks like it has been hewn from the cliff by a sculptor. Gerduberg is located 3km north of road 54, opposite the junction with road 567.
As volcanic lava cools it solidifies, contracts and cracks. When the contraction takes place evenly across the surface of the lava, a hexagonal fracture pattern can occur.
If the contraction is not evenly spaced, for example, if the thickness or density of the lava varies, then other fracture patterns may be seen. As cooling continues the fractures extend deep into the lava, forming long geometric columns.