Top 10 World’s Rarest Rocks
Rock formations are another striking result of nature’s artistic ability. Elements such as water, wind, rain and erosion have carved wonderful works over millions of years. Thus this is a list of 10 of those world’s rarest rocks!
10.The Golden Rock, Myanmar
The Golden Rock is a granitic boulder of 5 meters high located near a precipice of 1100 meters above sea level. The Kyaitiyo Pagoda stands on top of the rock and it’s a major pilgrimage site for Burmese Buddhists.
Its golden colour is due the pilgrims, who for hundreds of years have pasted gold leaf onto it. But the most amazing thing about this place is that the rock seems to defy gravity and be about to fall.
The legend says that the rock is perched on a strand of the Buddha’s hair, so those who visit the holy site three times a year will be blessed with wealth and acknowledgement of their goodness.
9. Stone Tree, Bolivia
The Stone Tree is a rock formation, considered also as a natural monument, located in Bolivia. It’s about 7 meters high and its shape are due to strong winds carrying sand and eroding the soft sandstone.
In other words, its peculiar tree shape is due to the erosion during millions of years, in which the sand of the desert has polished the rock until giving it that form.
8. Mushroom rocks, Egypt
Egypt’s mushrooms rocks are one of the most famous and rarest rocks of this nature in the world. Also known as rock pedestal, its amazing shape is also a striking manifestation of erosion and weathering.
7. Delicate Arch, USA
It’s the world’s most famous natural arch. Located in Arches National Park, Utah, the Delicate Arch was formed because the original sandstone fin was gradually worn away by weathering and erosion, leaving the arc as a result.
Besides, it’s 6 meters high and is the most representative symbol of Utah.
6. The Wave, USA
The wave is an amazing sandstone rock formation located in Arizona. It was originally a set of dunes, but with the passage of time were transformed into solid rock. Erosion by wind and rain has created this unique landscape of wave-like shapes and orange and reddish colors. This is also a famous place for hikers due the difficult hike required to reach it.
5. Ayers Rock, Australia
Uluru or Ayers Rock is known as the sacred rock of Australia. It’s a 348 m high sandstone formation, declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site because it has become place of pilgrimage of the local native inhabitants over the years.
Ayers Rock is also one of the largest monoliths in the world, formed about 600 million years ago. In addition, it’s very famous for appearing to change colour at different times of the day and year, most notably when it glows red at dawn and sunset.
4. Split Apple Rock, New Zeeland
It is a granitic geological formation located in the northern coast of the South Island of New Zealand and famous for its strange shape of an apple which has been cut in half.
The cleft to produce two sides of the ‘apple’ was a natural occurrence. It is unknown when this happened, but the truth is that it has become the rock into a major tourist destination in the Abel Tasman National Park.
3. Ko Tapu Island, Thailand
Ko Tapu is a wonderful limestone monolith, about 20 meters high, located in Phang Nga Bay, Thailand.
This rock column is situated about 200 meters from the coast, within Ao Phang Nga National Park. It is also very well-known as “James Bond Island” because it has become a popular tourist attraction since it appared in the 1974 James Bond’s movie “The Man with the Golden Gun”.
2. The Pinnacles, Australia
As the James Bond Island, The Pinnacles are also limestone formations located within the Nambung National Park, Western Australia. The rocks are formed of limestone and its bases of sandstone.
1. Percé Rock, Canada
Percé Rock is one of the world’s largest natural arches located in water and a major tourist attraction in Quebec.
It is a beautiful stack of limestone about 433 meters long and 88 meters high. The famous arch of the rock is about 15 meters high, but there were actually two arches, until one collapsed on June 17, 1845.
