Nature's Geometry: Is Robert Schoch Right about the Yonaguni Monument and the Bosnian Pyramids?

At some point in any "natural vs. artificial" argument -- for instance, an argument such as "Visočica hill vs. the Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun" . . .

Visočica hill or the Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun?

. . . or "natural sandstone vs. the Yonaguni Monument" . . .

Natural sandstone or the Yonaguni Monument?

-- at some point during such arguments, the proponents of orthodox (academic, armchair) archaeology may mention Devil's Tower, a natural structure in Wyoming and the first national monument ever named in the United States. 

Devil's Tower
  

Devil's Tower (Wyoming)

Devil's Tower (Wyoming)

The sharp edges and continuing relatively smooth planes of the Devil's Tower feature could lead one to believe, at first, that this is a human-made structure.

But if we study Devil's Tower, we notice several things.

First, we notice that many, but not all, of these columnar structures are irregularly curved. (Curvature in some of the columns is visible in the photo above. In the photo below, curvature is more pronounced.)

Irregular and dissimilar curves on Devil's Tower, Wyoming

The curves on the Devil's Tower columns are both irregular (the degree of curvature changes in a single column) and dissimilar (curvature changes from column to column).
 
Therefore, we have two pieces of evidence that these kinds of columns are natural: 1) irregular curvature and 2) dissimilar curvature.

For further evidence of naturalness, in this particular case of pentagonal and hexagonal columns, there is the well-known faceted shaping of cooling substances from starch to magma. 

Drying starch forms geometrical columns in a controlled experiment.
Measured in millimeters. (Photo: University of Toronto.)

Drying starch forms geometrical columns in a controlled
experiment. (Photo: University of Toronto.)

The most likely explanation for the Devil's Tower geometrical features, which do have an artificial look at first glance (but not at later study), is that a molten magma upward intrusion in the earth's crust cooled while still underground, crystallizing into phonolite porphyry. 

"Phonolite porphyry," say geophiles and lithophiles (earth lovers and rock lovers), is similar in composition to granite but lacks quartz. 

The "phonolite" part of the term attempts to speak of the ringing of the rock when a small piece of it is struck. The "porphyry" part of the term accurately names the unique texture of igneous rock consisting of large crystals of, for example, feldspar embedded in a mass of smaller crystals.

Porphyry: any igneous rock with conspicuous large grains

(phenocrysts) "floating" in a fine-grained groundmass

Because molten magma occupies more volume than cold magma, cooling magma contracts slowly into closely set columns with geometrical shapes: quadrangle, pentagonal, hexagonal (six-sided), and heptagonal (seven-sided), hexagonal, pentagonal, and quadrangular.

Now let's look at another feature of Devil's Tower: copious rubble at the base. 
 

Note the copious rubble at the base of Devil's Tower.

Devil's Tower with irregularly shaped copious rubble

Devil's Tower with irregularly shaped copious rubble

Huge blocks of stone have cracked off from the structure and lie piled in a huge mass all around the tower. Let's remember this in our discussion of the Yonaguni Monument.

The Yonaguni Monument

Graphic model, to scale, of the Yonaguni Monument.
(Graphic from Discovery Channel Magazine)

Dr. Schoch claims on his official web site that 1) "the Yonaguni Monument is natural" and 2) "primarily a natural structure."

Robert Milton Schoch
 Associate Professor of Natural Sciences
at the College of General Studies,
a two-year non-degree-granting unit
of Boston University

Internet commenters often endeavor to shore up geologist Robert Schoch's proclamations about the Yonaguni Monument, a submerged structure off the coast of the westernmost inhabited island of Japan. 

These (usually anonymous) commenters often refer to Devil's Tower. Why? Because the natural features of Devil's Tower look human-made to casual observers and thus give some kind of credence to the argument that the Yonaguni Monument, which also has many features that give a feeling of intelligent design, is in fact a natural structure.
 

Stair-step features on the Yonaguni Monument.

The anonymous commenters' argument is, "If Devil's Tower, which we know is natural, can look human-made, then the Yonaguni Monument can also look human-made, even though it's actually natural."

We have demonstrated in this article, however, that the at-first-glance human-made aspects of Devil's Tower are in fact natural for very specific reasons: 1) irregular curvature of geometric features, 2) dissimilar curvature of geometric features, and 3) copious natural rubble at the base of the structure. 

All of these natural features are absent in the case of the Yonaguni Monument.

Sharp-edged, smooth, extended-run vertical surfaces on the Yonaguni Monument.
(Photo here, taken in 2000.)

Smooth-sided step features on the Yonaguni Monument. 
(Photo by Rik Brezina in 2008.)

Sharp-edged, smooth, extended-run vertical surfaces on the Yonaguni Monument.
(Photo by Kihachiro Aratake.)

Sharp-edged, smooth, extended-run vertical surfaces on the Yonaguni Monument.
(Screen-grab of video image by Brett Terpstra, 2011.)

Twin Pillars at the Yonaguni Monument.
(Photo by Cecelia and Gary Hagland.)

The Yonaguni Monument 与那国記念碑.
(Photo by Rik Brezina.)

Sharp-edged, smooth, extended-run vertical surfaces on the Yonaguni Monument.
(Photo here.)

Sharp-edged, smooth, extended-run vertical surfaces on the Yonaguni Monument.
(Photo by Rik Brezina.)

Sharp-edged, smooth, extended-run vertical surfaces on the Yonaguni Monument.
(Photo by Rik Brezina.)

Schoch says that the sandstone layers on the Yonaguni Monument break out naturally. But please note the lack of rubble below the stair-step structures of the Yonaguni Monument in the next three photos.

Sharp-edged, smooth, extended-run vertical surfaces on the Yonaguni Monument.
(Photo here, taken 2001.)

The Yonaguni Monument. (Photo here, taken in 1995.)

Sharp-edged, smooth, flat-plane, extended-run horizontal and vertical surfaces on the  Yonaguni Monument. Occasional marine biota are seen on these flat-pane surfaces. (Photo here, taken in 1998.)

Where did all these naturally breaking out pieces of sandstone go to? Robert Schoch does not explain; he simply proclaims. And anonymous "Schoch-bots" across the internet echo his proclamations.

The Island of Staffa, Scotland

Two other interesting natural geological features exist on planet earth that we should mention in this article: the Island of Staffa in Scotland and Devil's Postpile in California.

Let's look first at Staffa, one of the smallest islands in the Inner Hebrides.

 

The Inner Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland. The 

Island of Staffa is west of the Isle of Mull. (Photo here.)

The Island of Staffa, Scotland. Illustration by William Daniell.

Aerial view of the Island of Staffa, photo taken from the northwest.
Copyright RCAHMS (Royal Commission on the Ancient and
Historical Monuments of Scotland).

Natural basalt columns on the Island of Staffa, Scotland

Natural basalt columns on the Island of Staffa, Scotland

Natural basalt columns on the Island of Staffa, Scotland

Natural basalt columns on the Island of Staffa, Scotland

Natural basalt columns on the Island of Staffa, Scotland

Natural basalt columns on the Island of Staffa, Scotland

Natural basalt columns on the Island of Staffa, Scotland

The hexagonal and pentagonal (and occasionally square) geometry of the basalt columns that make up a good portion of the Island of Staffa is clear and undeniable and makes us think of intelligent (human) design.

However, as with Devil's Tower, irregular and dissimilar columnar curves, irregularity (occasional roughness) of surfaces, and naturally occurring rubble are seen.

Thus we know that these at-first-glance human-made features are in fact natural. 

Devil's Postpile, California

Devil's Postpile, southeast of Yosemite National Park, California

The geometrical columns found at Devil's Postpile National Monument in California are similar to those found at Devil's Tower in Wyoming. But the columns at Devil's Postpile are smaller and of lesser girth.

Naturally formed basalt columns at Devil's Postpile in California

The tops of naturally formed basalt columns at Devil's Postpile in California

As with Devil's Tower, in the case of Devil's Postpile we come to the inevitable conclusion that, in spite of the impressive geometry and pattern of the columns, which at first glance seem as if they might be designed by intelligent hands, the features of Devil's Postpile are natural.

Naturally formed basalt columns at Devil's Postpile in California

At Devil's Postpile, we find both irregular and dissimilar curving of the basalt columns (above), as well as rubble at the base of the structure (above and below).

Basalt columns at Devil's Postpile in California

Conclusion

Nature does prefer to take certain geometric shapes when certain conditions are met. 

Water ferns at cold temperatures . . . 

Water ferns at cold temperatures.

. . . and hot cooling minerals can spontaneously become quadrangle, pentagonal, hexagonal, or heptagonal in structure. 

Quadrangle andesite columns (slowly solidified lava) at Mount Rainier, California

But some structures with geometrical shapes are indeed human-made. 

One of these human-made structures is the Yonaguni Monument, which was probably a stone quarry for an ancient people.

Illustration of the Yonaguni Monument

 

The Yonaguni Monument with divers

Although nature's geometry, as evidenced in natural stone structures across the planet, often resembles the geometry of human-made structures, with careful study we can discern the difference between nature's spontaneous geometry and that arising from the work of human hands.

Both the Yonaguni Monument and the Bosnian Pyramid Complex were designed. Despite Dr. Robert Schoch's vociferous attempts to categorize these structures as "natural" or "primarily natural," they did not arise naturally but were created by a human or human-like intelligence. 

The Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun, Visoko, Bosnia.
Photo taken April 7, 2015 by Jock Doubleday.

For an in-depth look at the Bosnian Pyramid Complex, please see my article, "The Mysterious Anti-Scientific Agenda of Robert Schoch: Part 1 - The Bosnian Pyramid Complex."

For an in-depth look at the Yonaguni Monument, please see my article,
"The Mysterious Anti-Scientific Agenda of Robert Schoch: Part 2 - The Yonaguni Monument."