Shoutout to the basalt columns at Devil's Postpile for proving me wrong

Three years ago, I was hiking in the Sierra Nevada and told my buddy those famous columns were just big rocks. Last week, I finally got a proper geology guide and learned they cooled from a lava flow over 100,000 years ago. Seeing the perfect hexagonal shapes up close last month in Mammoth Lakes totally changed my mind. Anyone else have a rock formation that made them feel stupid?

3 comments

3 Comments

kai6022mo ago

I once argued a geode was just a fancy paperweight, so I feel your pain.

jake_dixon2mo ago

Been there, done that. The trick is to call it a "decorative mineral specimen" instead of a paperweight. Sounds way more legit and people stop arguing. Works every time.

parkerb652mo ago

Oh man, I totally get that! I called a chunk of quartz a "cool looking rock" for years until my friend, who's a total nerd about this stuff, set me straight. Kinda like what @jake_dixon said, you gotta know the right words or you sound silly.