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Natural Wonders: Amazing rocks that balance on their own

Mexican Hat Rock

A balancing rock refers to a naturally occurring geological formation that features a large rock or boulder. The large rocks may rest on other rocks, bedrocks, or on a glacial till. Though these formations appear to be balanced, they are actually firmly connected to a base. These balancing rocks can be differentiated as glacial erratic, perched block, erosional remnant, and pedestal rock. There are lots of balancing rocks present all over the world. Let us discuss few of the famous balancing rocks:

Golden Rock, Burma

The Golden Rock in Burma is also referred to as Kyaiktiyo Pagoda. The rock is located in a famous Buddhist pilgrimage site in Mon State, Myanmar. This pagoda stands 7.3 meters high and it is built on the top of a granite boulder covered with gold leaves. These leaves are believed to be pasted by the devotees visiting the pagoda. The specialty of the golden rock lies in defying gravity. It always seems to roll down the hill. According to legends, it is unsteadily balanced on a strand of Buddha’s hair. This is considered to the third most sacred pilgrimage among the Buddhists after Shwedagon Pagoda and the Mahamuni Pagoda in Burma.

Kjeragbolten, Norway

Kjeragbolten refers to a Norwegian boulder, which can be located in the Kjerag Mountain in Rogaland, Norway. The balance rock found here is a 5 m glacial deposit wedged in its mountain crevasse. This is a very popular site for Base Jumping as it is easily accessible without any climbing equipment. The balancing rock is suspended above 984 meters depth.

Mushroom Rock, Kansas

These balancing rocks have the shapes of mushrooms so popularly called as Mushroom Rock. These Mushroom Rocks can be found in the Mushroom Rock State Park, in the smoky hills region of Kansas. These rocks are believed to be formed due to a process of non-uniform erosion and weathering. The erosion might have resulted in hard mass of Dakota sandstone that resisted erosion and the softer stone might have weathered away. This is might have finally resulted in the mushroom shape of the rocks.

Chiremba Balancing Rocks, Zimbabwe

The Chiremba Balancing Rocks are located in Harare, Zimbabwe. There are many balancing rocks found all over Zimbabwe. However, these balancing rocks are very big formations to be balanced. These balancing rocks also gained popularity after they were featured in the Zimbabwean currency. The balancing rocks are used to explain the metaphorical theme in explaining the importance of development coupled with preserving the fragile environment of Zimbabwe.

Devil’s Marbles, Australia

The Devil’s Marbles are the most famous balancing rocks present in Australia. They are located in the south of Tennant Creek area of northern territory. These balancing rocks are huge, red, and rounded in shape. These rocks vary in size from 50 cm to 6 meters in perimeter. Many of the rocks are also seen to be balanced over each other.

Idol Rock, Brimham Moor, UK

Idol Rock is a balancing rock that creates curiosity in all of us. It is really amazing how such a big rock is rested and balanced on a small rock. The rock formations in Brimham are scattered on almost a 50 acres of land. The rocks are believed to be eroded by water, glaciations, and wind. This erosion has been resulted in the peculiar shapes of the rocks. The rocks have taken many amazing shapes such as elephants, hippos, mushrooms and many more.

Mexican Hat, Utah

Mexican Hat Rock

Mexican Hat is located on the San Juan River in San Juan County in Utah, the US. Mexican Hat is known to be a Census Designated Place. It falls on the US route 163, which is just 3 miles away from the junction of State Route 261. Mexican Hat has a population of 88 according to 2000 census. The name of the balancing rock has been derived from the shape of the rock itself. It is sombrero shaped. Its width is 18 meters, thickness is 3.7 meters, and the hat look-a-like structure is formed due to ascending of two rock climbing routes. Mexican Hat is located 1300 meters above the sea level.

Balancing Rock, Digby, Nova Scotia

The balancing rock in Digby is located in St. Mary’s Bay on Long Island. The specialty of this balancing rock lies in defying gravity as it stands on its edge at the edge of the rock below. The height of the rock column is 9 meters and the rock is attached by two small sections with a gap.

Balanced Rock, Utah

Utah has a lot of balanced rock formations. The Balanced Rock is one of the most popular attractions in Arches National Park in Utah, United States. The Balanced Rock is situated next to the park’s main road and 9 miles away from the park entrance. The height of the Balanced Rock is about 39 meters and the rock rising 16.75 meters above the base.

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