Blue sky low cliff, with columnar jointed basalt rock, above seaweed on a Mar Brava beach, Pacific Coast, Chiloe Island, Chile

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The volcanic rocks of the Ancud Volcanic Complex consist of basaltic and andesitic lava flows with sub-vertical columnar joints, due to rapid cooling and cracking at temperatures below 120 C. They are of Upper Oligocene-Lower Miocene, being formed approximately 20 million years ago, during the Cenozoic Era. They outcrop on the Pacific Coast of Chiloe Island, to the west of Ancud, where the 'columnar joints' are exposed to sea-wave attack.

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Size: 4287px × 2848px
Location: Basalt columns, Ancud Volcanic Complex, Peninsula Lacuy, Pacific Coast, Chiloe Island, Chile
Photo credit: © robert harrison / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No

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