Let's Go on a Visit

Let's Go to Gyeongju's Padosori Trail



If I say “columnar joint”, most people probably recall Jeju Island first because of the columnar joint coastline and Cheonjiyeon waterfall. The columnar joint topography on Jeju Island is a famous feature that attracts tourists, especially students on school trips However, if you don’t have the time or money to go to Jeju Island, you can enjoy a beautiful coastline and sea full of columnar joints in Gyeongju. How about going to Gyeongju's Padosori Trail with me for a moment?



Columnar joints are created when lava with temperatures above 1000 degrees Celsius erupts from a volcano or fissure and is cooled into rock from the bottom by the comparatively cool surface of the earth and from the top by the cool air. The lava, being quickly cooled into rock, contracts rapidly. The surface of the lava develops the pentagonal or hexagonal cracks similar to the soil of a rice paddy in the dry season. These cracks steadily develop vertically and change the newly formed rocks into pillar-shaped formations. These rocks are called columnar joints (Jusangjeolli in Korean). People also usually think that there are only vertical columnar joint formations. However, you can enjoy very unique columnar joints in Gyeongju. There are slanted and lying columnar joint formations in Haseo Harbor and fan-shaped columnar joint formations in Eupcheon Harbor.



The route from Haseo Harbor to a fishing village for mural arts is called Padosori Trail. Another name for this path is Haeparang Trail. When I walked along the Haeparang Trail, the most impressive things I saw were the lying and fan-shaped columnar joints. Lying columnar joints are made when the lava while cooling into rock flows into a small, hollow streambed or cracks in the earth. They look like the keyboard of a piano and make a beautiful landscape. Fan-shaped columnar joints spread out like the ribs of a fan with many lying columnar joints. People call these “flower of the East Sea” because they look like an aster blooming on the sea. This pattern of columnar joints is a very unique thing that was discovered in Korea first and is very rare in the whole world. Also, they have not only a very high esthetic value, but also scientific value about their creation.



The season has changed from summer to autumn. In summer, we play in the sea. In autumn, we can enjoy the sea by walking along some paths like Haeparang Trail. Don't hesitate! Let's go to Gyeongju to enjoy the beautiful coastline and sea full of columnar joints.