2000/03/17 by E. A. Jagla, Jagla, E. A., A. G. Rojo +1
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Engineering · Environmental Science · #FOS: Physical sciences #Fluid Dynamics and Heat Transfer #Geological formations and processes #Landslides and related hazards #Statistical Mechanics (cond-mat.stat-mech)
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.cond-mat/0003312
openalex publication_date 2000/03/17 · openalex created_date 2022/10/02 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We present a model that explains the origin and predicts the statistical properties of columnar quasi-hexagonal crack patterns, as observed in the columnar jointing of basaltic lava flows. Irregular fractures appear at the surface of the material, induced by temperature gradients during cooling. At later times fractures penetrate into the material, and tend to form polygonal patterns. We show that this ordering can be described as a tendency to minimize an energy functional. Atomistic simulations confirm this interpretation. Numerical simulations based on a phenomenological implementation of this principle generate patterns that have remarkably good statistical agreement with real ones.