Staffa, Inner Hebrides, Scotland
Above image is of typical tourist boat trip to Staffa. This evening, I am posting information on the island of Staffa which is located about 6 miles from the islands of Mull and Iona. Staffa extends to about 82 acres and is uninhabited. It is now designated a National Nature Reserve under ownership of the National Trust for Scotland. However, day trips by tourists are permitted. Basalt columns More information: The name is a function of the island's geology being derived from the Old Norse word stafr meaning staff and reflects the columnar basaltic rocks resembling staves which were formed by volcanic activity about 60m years ago when the Atlantic Ocean was formed.The lava is underlain by a thin layer of volcanic ash. The lowest lava flow cooled slowly producing the most spectacular colonnade structures. These formed perpendicularly to the cooling surface at the base of the flow. Most of the columns are hexagonal, but five-sided and seven-sided columns can be fou...