The mystery of a series of stone columns formed hundreds of thousands of years ago

Spiral stone columns up to more than 6 m high on the shores of Lake Crowley, California, USA are said to be 760,000 years old.

On the shores of Lake Crowley in California, USA, there are strange spiral-shaped stone columns reaching more than 6 meters high, connected by a high dome. The view of this place is like part of an old Moorish temple.

These fancy stone pillars were "hidden" for a long time until the waves of the lake began to deepen the softer material at the base of the cliff.

After years of research and investigation, the researcher has determined that these columns were created by cold water seeping down and steam rising from hot volcanic ash spewed out by a cataclysm around 760,000 years ago. prior to.

Strange stone columns on Crowley Lake, California, USA.

"These columns are the product of a natural 'experiment' in hydrothermal convection physics," said Dr. Noah Randolph-Flagg in an interview.

The explosion is believed to be 2,000 times larger than the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens - created the Long Valley Caldera, a depression in eastern California. It also covers much of the Sierra Nevada in the east with a rough volcanic, or ash-falling band.

The researchers not only discovered the origin of the columns, but also learned a lot about the surrounding landscape, says Randolph-Flagg.

Randolph-Flagg estimates that up to 5,000 such columns exist in an area of ​​about 16 square kilometers. They appear in clusters, varying in size and shape.

Many of the columns were gray, straight like a telephone pole and surrounded by horizontal cracks. Some of the stone pillars are orange-red. Some columns are bent or all tilted at the same angle. In addition, the other columns are half buried and resemble the fossilized backbones of dinosaurs.

The stone pillars are hundreds of thousands of years old.

The stone pillars at Crowley Lake, California are currently very popular with tourists to visit. To get to this place, the best means of transportation is by car. The columns show up very clearly in late autumn, winter and early spring. At some times of the year, the rock pillars are almost "diving" because the water level is too high.

Crowley Lake is a reservoir on the upper Owens River in southern Mono County, California, United States. Crowley Lake is about 24 kilometers south of the town of Mammoth Lakes.

Crowley Lake has been a favorite spot for anglers for many years now. Guests can rent boats, book camping and buy fishing gear in this area.