Giants Causeway

 Another stop on my trip in Northern Ireland was a longstanding bucket list location. Giants Causeway is a UNESCO World Heritage site and an incredible geological phenomenon. Comprised of around 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the causeway is a result of an ancient volcanic fissure eruption and is located in County Antrim on the North coast of the country. During the Paleocene Epoch (second smallest geochronologic unit), around 50 to 60 million years ago, Antrim was host to intense volcanic activity. When highly fluid molten basalt intruded through chalk beds, it formed an extensive volcanic plateau. As the lava cooled, it contracted. Similar to drying mud, the horizontal contraction fractured, with the cracks propagating down as the mass cooled, resulting in the pillarlike structures exposed on the causeway. The size of the columns was primarily determined by the speed at which the lava cooled. 

In folk legend, the columns are the remains of a causeway built by the giant Fionn mac Cumhaill (Finn MacCool), who was challenged to a fight by the Scottish giant Benandonner. Fionn accepted the challenge and built the causeway across the North Channel so that the two could meet. In one version of the story, Fionn defeats Benandonner. However, in the version of the story told by my guide for the day, Fionn hides from Benandonner when he realises that his foe is much bigger than he is. Fionn's wife, Sadhbh, disguises Fionn as their baby and tucks him in a cradle. When Benandonner sees the size of the "baby", he reckons that its father, Fionn, must be a giant among giants. He flees back to Scotland in fright, destroying the causeway behind him so that Fionn would be unable to chase him. This is backed up by the identical basalt columns across the channel, a part of the same ancient lava flow, at Fingal's Cave on the Scottish isle of Staffa.

My sketch was done with a fountain pen, it is the fist sketch I've done in this medium which shows in the linework. I am still learning how to control the line width and opacity when handling the pen however its a lovely technique to work with due to the fluidity of the ink and feel while drawing.