Mysterious Crowley Lake Columns, CA, USA

Extraordinary rock formations (Crowley Lake columns) in the form of spiral columns were discovered on the shore of a lake named Crowley, after the end of construction of a reservoir located near the Owens River in 1941. Along the east coast of the lake, strange formations - in the form of columns with a height of 6 meters, connected by arches that look like a man-made structure of the ancient Greek architecture  - appeared.

Until 2015, this place was not exposed to any research, as these mysterious columns of natural origin are soft. They were hidden from the eyes of people under the water for millions of years. And only in 2015, geologists from the University of California, Berkeley interested in them and decided to conduct a serious investigation.

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Scientists in the process of studying were using a variety of modern equipment and methods. Thus, with the help of x-ray crystallography and electron microscopy, they managed to determine the approximate age of the columns. They found out that the columns were formed by the melting of snow due to a catastrophic explosion 760,000 years ago. That is to say, when the snow was melting the cold water was seeping down through the hot volcanic ash and thus the Crowley Lake columns were formed. Also, scientists found out that the columns were fulfilling the role of convective heat pipes, gathering minerals, thanks to which they were able to resist the destructive power of the lake's waves.

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According to preliminary estimates, on the area of 4000 hectares, there are located about 5,000 of these stone pillars.  Besides, Crowley lake columns are divided into groups differing among themselves in form, size, and color. Some formations are reminiscent of statues and stone castles. All these columns are so mysterious and so perfect that it is hard to believe that all these labyrinths of spiral columns were created not by man but by nature.

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Location: Mono County, California