Giant's Causeway Quiz: Basalt Columns and Irish Legends

This Giant's Causeway quiz explores Northern Ireland's famous coast of basalt columns, from the legend of Finn McCool and the Scottish giant Benandonner to the volcanic science behind the stones, Fingal's Cave, its UNESCO listing and the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. Ten questions.

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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 90 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 90s

Location
Where is the Giant's Causeway?
Geology
Roughly how many interlocking basalt columns make up the Giant's Causeway?
Geology
What shape are most of the columns?
Legend
According to Irish legend, which giant built the causeway?
Legend
In the legend, which Scottish giant did Finn McCool want to fight?
Geology
What created the Giant's Causeway?
Scotland
Which cave on the Scottish island of Staffa has similar basalt columns?
UNESCO
In which year did the Giant's Causeway become a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
Geology
About how old are the basalt rocks of the Giant's Causeway?
Nearby
Which rope bridge on the same coast links the mainland to a tiny island?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Where is the Giant's Causeway?
Answer: Northern Ireland
The Giant's Causeway lies on the north coast of County Antrim in Northern Ireland, about 3 kilometers from the town of Bushmills. It is cared for by the National Trust.
Q2: Roughly how many interlocking basalt columns make up the Giant's Causeway?
Answer: About 40,000
There are about 40,000 columns, many fitting together like a giant honeycomb. Some are up to 12 meters tall.
Q3: What shape are most of the columns?
Answer: Hexagonal
Most columns have six sides, though some have four, five, seven or eight. The shapes formed as the lava cooled and cracked evenly.
Q4: According to Irish legend, which giant built the causeway?
Answer: Finn McCool
Finn McCool, or Fionn mac Cumhaill, is said to have built the causeway across the sea to reach Scotland. Paul Bunyan is a giant of American folklore.
Q5: In the legend, which Scottish giant did Finn McCool want to fight?
Answer: Benandonner
When Finn saw how huge Benandonner was, his wife disguised him as a baby. Benandonner thought the baby's father must be enormous and fled, tearing up the causeway behind him.
Q6: What created the Giant's Causeway?
Answer: Cooling lava
About 50 to 60 million years ago, volcanic lava flowed over the area. As it cooled and shrank, it cracked into the columns we see today.
Q7: Which cave on the Scottish island of Staffa has similar basalt columns?
Answer: Fingal's Cave
Fingal's Cave was formed by the same ancient lava flows. Its echoing sounds inspired composer Felix Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overture.
Q8: In which year did the Giant's Causeway become a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
Answer: 1986
The Giant's Causeway and Causeway Coast were listed in 1986, the first World Heritage Site in Northern Ireland.
Q9: About how old are the basalt rocks of the Giant's Causeway?
Answer: 60 million years
The basalt formed roughly 50 to 60 million years ago, around the time the North Atlantic Ocean was opening up.
Q10: Which rope bridge on the same coast links the mainland to a tiny island?
Answer: Carrick-a-Rede
The Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge hangs about 30 meters above the sea. Fishermen first built a bridge there more than 250 years ago.

Giant's Causeway Quiz – Where Legend Meets Geology

On the wild north coast of Northern Ireland, around 40,000 dark stone columns step down into the sea like a giant's staircase. The Giant's Causeway is one of the most remarkable natural sites in Europe and Northern Ireland's most famous landmark, drawing visitors from around the world.

Irish legend has a colorful explanation. The giant Finn McCool built the causeway to reach Scotland and fight his rival Benandonner. When he realized his enemy was far bigger, his clever wife disguised Finn as a baby. Seeing the size of the baby, Benandonner panicked and ran home, ripping up the causeway behind him. Only the ends remain, in Ireland and on the Scottish island of Staffa.

Science tells a different story. Tens of millions of years ago, huge lava flows covered the area. As the lava cooled slowly, it shrank and cracked into regular columns, mostly with six sides, much like mud cracking as it dries. The same process created Fingal's Cave in Scotland, which inspired Mendelssohn's music.

Today the Causeway Coast is protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visitors walk across the columns, explore features such as the Organ and the Giant's Boot and continue to nearby sights such as the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge and the ruins of Dunluce Castle.

This quiz mixes legend and geology to explore this unique coastline.

What This Quiz Teaches

This quiz is great for travelers to Ireland, geology fans and lovers of myths and legends.

Where the Giant's Causeway is
How many columns there are and what shape they take
The legend of Finn McCool and Benandonner
How cooling lava created the columns
How the causeway links to Fingal's Cave in Scotland
What else to see along the Causeway Coast

Quick Facts About the Giant's Causeway

Some rock formations have nicknames such as the Wishing Chair and the Camel's Hump.
The site was made famous in the 1690s when a report was presented to the Royal Society.
Nearby filming locations from Game of Thrones, including the Dark Hedges, are popular with visitors.
The Old Bushmills Distillery, one of the oldest licensed whiskey distilleries, is nearby.
The visitor center has a grass roof and walls made to look like basalt columns.
Walking on the columns is free, but parking and the visitor center charge a fee.