Columnar Basalt

Basalt columns 玄武岩 of Kg Balung Cocos, Tawau
Tawau 40Km Car + 1Km Walk

Columnar Basalt of Kg Balung Cocos, Tawau (Giram Nek Legek di Kampung Balung Cocos)

Nek Legek Giram, Kampung Balung Cocos is the latest destination of Eco Tourism in Sabah.

This is the only location in Malaysia where you can see  Columnar basalt (Lava Pillow) formed millions of years ago when straight lava flows upward from sea floor to the water surface.

This natural structure is formed when basalt lava begins to cool at the bottom of the ocean. The cooling process causes the rocks to form hexagonally extended columns.

This process is still taking place on the ocean floor especially on the Atlantic ocean floor at the Mid-Ocean Ridge (MOR)

This destination was opened to the public since 2016 for both domestic and foreign tourists.

Tour packages are available from most established hotels in Sabah. The package prices vary by category of visitors. Visitors can make arrangement with their hotels, tour agents or Tourist Information Counters in Sabah.

Homestay is available at Balung Cocos Village.

COLUMNAR JOINT IN TAWAU (from FB GeoSains And Mineral Resources Malaysia)
Perhaps the only location in the minds of students and geologists where a 'columnar joint' can be found in the country is in Tawau.
'Columnar joint' is a solid structure of rock that has symmetrical prism. This structure is usually present on extracellular igneous rocks when cooled and contracted.
In Tawau, Columnar Joint can be found on the basalt rocks along the banks and around the Balung River.
The basalt in the area ranges from Middle Miocene to Pliocene.
Note: This area is very suitable and deserves to be recognized as a Geotab

Note:
Special thanks to Mr. Ariffin Johari of Sabah Park Park: Tawau Hill Park for providing guidance on this location.

Special thanks also to Mr. Rosli Omén Necrofis for providing the facts of this structure.