From the tall standing stones crafted by volcanic activity to the oddly shaped and placed boulders
all over the world, today we look at the Strangest Rock Formations On Earth.
Number 11. Fingal's Cave Composed of hundreds of hexagonal basalt columns,
the sea cove situated on the Scottish island of Staffa is known as Fingal's Cave. It's
believed that this unique geological landmark came to be as lava surged to the surface from
the sea floor more than 50 million years ago. The cooling of the igneous basalt rock resulted
in gradual cracking, resulting in the tetragonal and hexagonal shapes of Fingal's Cave's columns.
Sightseeing cruises will take visitors past the entrance often, with some cruises even
allowing their passengers to explore the arched cove up close.
Number 10. Giant's Causeway The sibling to the previously mentioned Scottish
grotto across the North Channel strait, connecting the Irish Sea to the Atlantic Ocean, is The
Giant's Causeway in the uppermost coast of Northern Ireland. Much like Fingal's Cave,
this rocky beach is notable for featuring more than 40 thousand basalt columns, formed
by the same lava flow tens of millions of years prior. They reach heights of up to 39
feet on this coast, and some portions of the igneous rock measure 92 feet in thickness!
But rather than chalk the origin of these two unique locations up to geological phenomenon,
locals say another, more folkloric source is to thank for Fingal's Cave and the Giant's
Causeway. Legend goes that the Irish mythological figure, Finn MacCool, built a causeway connecting
the coasts of Ireland and Scotland using the massive stone columns to do so. His reason?
To create a bridge by which to combat Scotland's own giant, referred to as Benandonner . But
as the Scottish behemoth approached the Irish hero, MacCool noticed Benandonner was much
larger and disguised himself as a baby instead. When the giant arrived and saw the size of
MacCool's apparent baby, he ran away in fear of what he assumed would be a much larger
father, demolishing the fabled bridge connecting Giant's Causeway to Fingal's Cave.
Number 9. Wave Rock In Western Australia, a large rock wall stands
49 feet tall and stretches for nearly 360 feet across, creating a concave overhang,
earning its iconic name of "Wave Rock." This gorgeous black and brown striped formation
is visited by more than 100 thousand tourists per year as a main attraction of the Hyden
Wildlife Park. Wave Rock lies just 2 miles east of the town of Hyden and forms the northern
face of a greater formation known as Hyden Rock. This greater rock is a special type
of hill known as an inselberg and spreads out to three separate domes, separated by
a reservoir in the center. Hyden Rock, and Wave Rock by default, consists of 2.63 billion
year-old granite compounded with igneous minerals. As for Wave Rock itself, it is what geomorphologists
refer to as a flared slope, created by the chemical weathering of ground water. As the
land surrounding Hyden Rock slowly eroded away over the millenia, so too did a deep
pocket of loose bedrock, broken from the granite structure, resulting in the eventual smooth,
wave-like wall seen today.
Number 8. Fairy Chimneys Ancient volcanoes once blanketed the region
of Cappadocia , Turkey in ash, a substance once dense enough would solidify into a soft
mineral known as "tuff". As natural erosion occurred, wearing away the weakest parts of
the thick layering, sturdy towers of tuff remained to create the widely-sought Fairy
Chimneys seen today. These spires are known as hoodoos in geological terms, and feature
rounded rocks at their pinnacle. But the natural effect on this landscape is only part of the
basis for this landmark's charm. The town of Goreme became home to Christian inhabitants
during the era of the Roman Empire, and the new settlers found the tuff of the environment
to be very malleable and easy to work with. Evidence of their fondness for the material
can be seen in the structures that continue to stand to this day. Everything from homes
and pigeon houses to churches and stables were carved into the soft rocks, complementing
the majesty of the Fairy Chimneys already in place. There were even underground cities
dug into the delicate stone, with the capability to hide as many as 10 thousand people at once
during hostile invasion, disguising ventilation shafts as wells and using rolling stones as
secret doors!
Number 7. Devils Marbles Referred to by the local Aboriginal Australians
as Karlu Karlu, the massive, round boulders adorning the land just outside the town of
Wauchope has come to be known as the Devils Marbles in more recent times. These large
rocks are scattered throughout a wide, shallow valley and establish the uppermost layer of
the large granite formation that sits beneath them. The boulders themselves are also granitic
and can be found in a variety of conditions and placements, with some being split directly
down the middle and others being strangely stacked on one another. The diversity and
sheer number of these incredibly round boulders, shaped by millions of years of erosion, along
with the extreme heat of the desert landscape seem to be the most likely source of this
landmarks nefarious title. But the Aboriginals of the Warumungu locality attribute a different
significance to these rocks. According to a number of their traditional stories, Karlu
Karlu was a common setting for historically important events. One of which include the
Aboriginal figure called Arrange, also known as the Devil Man, who traveled through the
desert, dropping chunks of hair as he did so. Legend tells of these hairs growing over
time into the great red boulders that would become the Devils Marbles.
Number 6. Kjeragbolten Atop the Norwegian mountain of Kjerag sits
an oddity lodged snugly within a crevasse , simultaneously enthralling and perplexing
the brave visitors that seek it out. At multiple points in ancient history, Norway was blanketed
in glaciers. Between these ice ages, the melting water cut through mountains as the sea level
rose and lowered, having interesting effects, such as leaving Kjeragbolten , the 180 cubic
foot boulder, wedged in the fissure of this mountaintop. The large sandstone rock has
become a popular tourist destination on the mountain, with visitors waiting over an hour
for the chance to get a photo on the iconic stone. The landmark itself isn't too difficult
to access as the public can reach it without the assistance of climbing equipment. However,
once standing on this picturesque destination, a jaw-dropping 3,228 feet abyss looms treacherously
beneath interested individuals. For thrillseekers, though, this spells opportunity as Kjeragbolten
has seen its popularity grow in recent years as a BASE jumping site.
Number 5. Split Apple Rock Positioned north of New Zealand's South Island
in Tasman Bay is Split Apple Rock, or Tokangawha as it's also named. The granite stone is strangely
in the shape of an apple thanks to a natural cleft and rounded shape brought on by erosion.
Visitors can wade through shallow waters during low tide to reach the rock, which has been
split in twain since its discovery. It's unknown scientifically what caused the 120 million
year old Split Apple Rock to crack, but Maori beliefs hold that this iconic formation came
to be by the will of two gods pulling it apart while fighting for its possession. Hence the
source of the rock's Maori name, Tokangawha , which translates to "burst open rock". Despite
this history, though, the landmark was officially dubbed Split Apple Rock in 1988, being recognized
as so for more than 35 years until it was renamed Tokangawha / Split Apple Rock in 2014.
Number 4. Devil's Tower In 1906, United States President Theodore
Roosevelt officially declared the first National Monument. Rising out of the grassy hills of
Wyoming as a part of the Bear Lodge Mountain range of the Black Hills, this lone butte
[byoot] is known as Devil's Tower. Though, not everyone calls it that. This sedimentary
and igneous rock-laden wonder was known by local Native tribes by names like "Bear's
House," "Tree Rock," "Great Gray Horn" and others, with Bear Lodge Butte [byoot] being
its recognized alternative name today. It's believed that this stone attraction is the
culmination of layers of sediment amassing for the past 195 to 225 million years ago.
Devil's Tower contains red sandstone, maroon siltstone, as well as different types of shale,
limestones, mudstones, and more. At some point in time, magma rose up into the butte [byoot],
penetrating the sedimentary layers. Due to its unique shape and form, only 1 percent
of the Tower's annual visitors actually try to climb the peak, relying heavily on traditional
climbing techniques to scale it successfully.
Number 3. Moeraki Boulders Koekohe Beach on the coast of New Zealand,
is littered with massive rocks reaching up to 9 feet in diameter. These are the Moeraki
Boulders...not giant, petrified eggs as they may appear. According to Maori beliefs, the
great canoe, the same one responsible for bringing ancestors to New Zealand initially,
wrecked near this beach. Upon doing so, baskets carrying eels washed ashore and eventually
hardened into stone. But according to scientists, we have mud to thank for this phenomenon...not
petrified eel baskets. Crystallizing across five million years on the seafloor, the great
Moeraki Boulders surfaced from the ocean once sea levels dropped low enough, resulting in
the gigantic stone spheres present today.
Number 2. Balancing Rock Just off the coast from Maine is the Canadian
province of Nova Scotia . It's one of the country's three maritime provinces and hosts
the capital city of Halifax . But this waterbound landmass hosts much more than cities, including
their famed Balancing Rock. Located on Long Island, this geological oddity stands teetering
on the west coast. After traversing a mile-long trail just outside the town of Tiverton , along
St. Mary's Bay, visitors will find what appears to be a 20-ton rock standing an estimated
30 feet tall. But its size isn't nearly as impressive as its position, which is vertically
erect and dangling halfway off the edge of a cliff! The formation is a basalt column,
the product of volcanic activity, and looks as if it could tip over and go crashing into
the sea at any moment. This landmark isn't wholly unique, though, as balancing rocks
of various types can be found all over the world!
Number 1. Stone Forest Around 270 million years ago, a shallow sea
sat in the modern day Chinese Autonomous County of Shilin Yi . The area experienced an uplift
at some point, and the combination of running water and wind slowly sculpted the accumulated
limestone of the seabed into the pillars that form the modern Stone Forest. Collectively,
this rock formation expands across more than 150 square miles, and due to its unique condition,
has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Chinese folklore tells of a woman named Ashima
being born among the Stone Forest. Upon being forbidden from marrying the suitor with which
she fell in love, Ashima was turned to stone alongside the pillars, with the rock still
bearing her name, according to local legend.