Columnar jointing has long fascinated geologists and the public alike, and one of the best places to see it in the U.S. is Devils* Postpile in eastern California, west of the town of Mammoth Lakes. I recently published a paper in which I analyzed columnar jointing exposed in the top surface by combining 1274 hand-help photographs, taken at ground level, using structure-from-motion software. The result is a detailed orthophotograph (pixel size <1 mm) of the surface equivalent to a photo taken from low altitude with all the vegetation removed. The DEM produced by this process displays glacial striations only 1 mm deep.
*No apostrophe in “Devils” as per U.S. Board on Geographic Names.
Devils Postpile. Several people lounging on the upper surface give scale.
Orthophotograph and digital elevation model derived from 1274 ground-level photos. Full-resolution image found here.
In the paper I analyze the geometric connections between the polygons. Fifty percent of the polygons are hexagons, with the remainder subequal numbers of pentagons and heptagons. I then make connections to honeycombs, graphene, siting of hospitals, and other diverse phenomena.