Igneous rock the partial melting of rocks within the mantle and crust. Extrusive igneous rocks cool and solidify quicker than intrusive igneous rocks. They are formed by the cooling of molten magma on the earth's surface. The magma, which is brought to the surface through fissures or volcanic eruptions, solidifies at a faster rate. Hence such rocks are smooth, crystalline and fine-grained. Basalt is a common extrusive igneous rock and forms lava flows, lava sheets and lava plateaus. Some kinds of basalt solidify to form long polygonal columns. The Giant's Causeway in Antrim, Northern Ireland is an example. The molten rock, with
Geological history of the Chiricahua Mountains hundreds of thousands of years of weathering and erosion. The hoodoos originated from a thick deposit of tuff laid down by the Turkey Creek Caldera. As the tuff cooled, it contracted and formed joints. Differential chemical and physical weathering concentrated along these joints, initiating the formation of thousands of rock columns. Balanced rocks that perch, sometimes precariously, on top of many of the hoodoos are a distinctive feature of the monument. Geological history of the Chiricahua Mountains The Geologic history of the Chiricahua Mountains concerns the Chiricahua Mountains, an inactive volcanic range located in Coronado National Forest of southeastern Arizona,