The Geologic Oddity in California; Devils Postpile

One of the most impressive features within California is a geologic oddity known as the Devils Postpile. This structure contains a group of towering near perfect hexagonal columns. These columns have a volcanic origin, and originated less than 100,000 years ago. This video will discuss how Devils Postpile within Devils Postpile National Monument formed, and mention some nearby related geologic features such as the Long Valley Supervolcano.
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[@chancellorjake]

I've been to Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland. It's really amazing.

[@ThePlayfarer]

Geology Hub, I love you. You help me realise the majesty of the natural world. Thank you.

[@bluesun128]

What an amazing place to visit! The whole devil's postpile area is filled with great hiking trails that lead to numerous lakes and other features. If possible, stop by the Minaret Vista where you can see sweeping views of the mountain range which includes Ritter, Banner, and the Minarets.

[@GeologyHub]

Be sure to check out the long chain of volcanic domes and explosion craters while in the vicinity! :D

[@nonmihiseddeo4181]

I have a home in Mammoth. It's the most scenically beautiful area. I

[@ThomasBensler]

That "Devil" guy seems to be quite a productive artist. Thumbs up!

[@LuckyBaldwin777]

There's another geologic oddity in that area worth looking for. The Lost Cement Mine. Mark Twain saw the cement ore and wrote about it in "Roughing It." He said gold nuggets in the ore looked like raisins in a fruit cake. Said the ore was fully 1/3 pure gold and quite seductive in appearance.

[@karramia3795]

There’s a similarly majestic but smaller feature near Melbourne, Australia called ‘The Organ Pipes’

[@deepgardening]

Nice, thankyou! I've wanted to see Devil's Postpile since I was a kid. In recent years I've gotten to know various features of the neighborhood- Mono Lake, various hotsprings and so on, so learning the context of the monument is nice. The last time I flew south I returned to the NW on a flight that came up past the Salton Sea and I got to view from the air how S. Cal. is ripping apart, bleeding basalt. So I got the continental context that way. Columnar basalt is common enough that it's common to see columns on sale in places that deal in "landscaping rock".

[@helmutzollner5496]

There is also a really amazing Basalt column cliff exposed near High Island Reservoir, Sai Kung, Hong Kong. What I found interesting is that they have a S-like kink in them.

[@Redoubt1989]

I've been there while visiting Mono-Inyo Craters and LV Caldera. The Postpile is quite mind-absorbing. I didn't get as far as Rainbow Falls but saw Devil's Postpile and was in awe.

[@floffycatto6475]

Used to visit this entire area as a kid with my family. Such a large region of volcanic formations! Owens Valley in general is an interesting topic too. Massive eruption, obsidian all over the place.

[@bobsmith6079]

You should include Tahiti where the basalt columns were stacked in alternating layers through some sort of Herculean effort to construct temples to their Polynesian deities. It's just as impressive of a construction as the Easter Island Moai are but far less well known.

[@shanecarubbi7864]

I used to go camping in that area when I was younger. Some excellent trout fishing, as well as some really good prospecting and some amazing scenery.

[@robbabcock_]

It's fascinating to see how odd geometric shapes form like that. It would be cool to see an entire video on Devil's Tower!

[@zerobeat2020]

Also noteworthy are Kilt Rock in the Isle of Skye and the Isle of Staffa with Fingal's Cave. Great Channel!

[@johnyoung1128]

This looks similar to the Organ pipes formation near Melbourne Victoria. I have also seen something similar at Mt Scoria near Biloela Queensland. The Mt Scoria hexagonal columns have the interesting characteristic that they ring like a bell when struck with a hammer.

[@leialee6820]

Another great and interesting video. Thank you once again.

[@davidwootton683]

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[@waltsnow1762]

Saw it for the first time with my Uncle Walt 65 years ago while deer hunting . Took my wife to see it 20 years ago while fly fishing at Hot Creek . It is very interesting to see the shape of the ''posts'' at the top !...........so much for the ''Earth is 7000 years old, and some guy-in-the-sky built it in 6 days '' crap !