The mysterious stones of the planet

Science has reached the depths of the sea and the heights of space, but still powerless before some of the stones ― the ancient and unknown.

Science has reached the depths of the sea and the heights of space, but still powerless before some of the stones ― the ancient and unknown.

Scientists have found that most are made of solid lava, but there are instances, and made of sedimentary rocks. Balls were found in many countries and continents ― Central America, USA, New Zealand, Romania, Kazakhstan, Brazil and Russia. Many unique specimens have been stolen, destroyed or even blown up, as the hunters believed that the inside can be hidden gold.

According to historians and archaeologists in Central America balls could muster in front of the house of nobles, thus demonstrating their status, but that doesn’t explain their purpose, in particular, in Novaya Zemlya or Franz Joseph Land.

The pillars of weathering, or Mansi Boobs ― natural monument of the Republic of Komi on the territory of Pechora-Ilych the reserve on mount man-Pupu-ner (in Mansi language means “Little mountain of idols”). Mansi and Komi deified Grand stone sculptures, worshiped them, but rise to the man-Pupu-ner was impossible ― it was considered the greatest sin.

200 million years ago on the stone pillars were the high mountains. For thousands of years they were destroyed by rain, snow, wind, frost and heat. But solid sericite-quantitavely less destroyed and have been preserved to our days. The pillars have intricate shapes and, depending on the examination site resemble the shape of a huge man, a horse’s head or a RAM. Six of them lined up at the edge of the cliff. A pillar, a height of 34 meters, stands a little to the side and looks like a huge bottle, turned upside down.

This place is connected with numerous legends. One of them says that the stone pillars were seven giants-Samoyeds, who walked through the mountains to Siberia in order to destroy the Vogulsky people. But when they went on the man-Pupu-ner, their leader-shaman saw Aligner the sacred mountain of the Voguls. In horror he dropped his drum, which fell on a high conical top of Koip, and all his companions were petrified with fear.

Rock streams, or Stone river Taganay

The screes is called the significant area of rock debris (rivers) in the southern Urals, which lies on the mountain slopes with gradients of up to 30-45 degrees. Big Stone river Taganay – linear elongated cluster of boulders located between the ridges of the Large and Middle Taganai. Stretches for 5-6 km with an average width of 100-200 m and consists of boulders weighing 9-10 tons. 100 sq metres is 300 huge boulders, deep they lie not less than four to six meters in three or four layers.

Stone river consists mainly of aventurine – a form of quartzite. Chunks of aventurine in different colors with drawings of lichens on them.

As a result of physical and frost weathering under the action of gravity screes gradually slide down, and when moving some large blocks of stone, they often bend and even break encountered on their way to the trees. Walk the screes difficult and insecure: sometimes under the weight of a person separate large boulders or talus portion can come into motion.

But now the river Taganay virtually motionless, the slope is not greater than 2.5 degrees.

This unique field is a national treasure, the more that like him in size and beauty of the stones is known only in India and nowhere else on the globe.

In the U.S. state of California in the national reserve of the USA “Death Valley” stones ranging in size from small pebbles to huge boulders weighing half a ton are committing strange walking around the dry lake bed of Restrac Playa (Racetrack Playa). This is the hottest place on Earth. So, temperature up to 50 degrees Celsius, held there in 1917, 43 days. The stones move in alone and in groups slowly, sometimes zigzag, overcoming tens of meters the road and leaving visible tracks in the sandy soil. They are not rolling, not turning, and crawling over the surface, leaving a uniform furrows, as if someone invisible is pulling them along. The boulders roll and against the wind, and climb up the slightly inclined surfaces. The restless movement of boulders repeatedly tried to lock in the specialists, but to no avail: people did not manage to catch boulders in the time of lot. However, observers to move slightly to the side, away from the objects of their observation, as they begin to move – sometimes up to half an hour.