On the shores of Crowley Lake in California, USA, there are strange spiral stone columns more than 6 meters high, connected by a high arch. The scene here looks like part of an ancient Moorish temple.
These strange stone columns were “hidden” for a long time until the waves of the lake began to erode the softer material at the base of the cliff.
After many years of research and study, researchers have determined that these stone columns were created by cold water seeping down and steam rising from H๏τ volcanic ash erupted by a great flood about 760,000 years ago.
“These columns are the product of a natural ‘experiment’ in the physics of hydrothermal convection,” Dr. Noah Randolph-Flagg said in an interview.
The explosion was thought to be 2,000 times larger than the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens — which created the Long Valley Caldera, a depression in eastern California. It also covered much of the eastern Sierra Nevada range with a raw volcanic plume, or ashfall.
Randolph-Flagg said the researchers not only discovered the origin of the columns, but also learned a lot about the surrounding landscape.
Randolph-Flagg estimates that there are up to 5,000 such columns in an area of about 16 square kilometers. They appear in clusters, and vary in size and shape.
Many are gray, straight like telephone poles, and surrounded by horizontal cracks. Some are reddish-orange. Some are curved or all tilted at the same angle. Others are half-buried and resemble the fossilized spines of dinosaurs.
In the near future, American students will be taken to this location to learn about these priceless and impressive natural resources.
The columns at Crowley Lake, California are currently very attractive to visitors. The best way to get there is by car. The columns are most visible in late fall, winter, and early spring. At some times of the year, the columns almost disappear because the water level is so high.
Crowley Lake is a reservoir on the upper Owens River in southern Mono County, California, United States. Crowley Lake is located about 15 miles (24 km) south of Mammoth Lakes.
