10 Most Amazing Rock Formations Around the World

Pasabag, Turkey

These incredible pillars located in Pasabag Valley, Turkey are called fairy chimneys. They were formed from soft volcanic rock that eroded over 30 million years. Some of the pillars have double and triple mushroom-shaped caps. A hermit named Saint Simeon was living in seclusion at a top of a chimney like this in 5th century in the area of Aleppo – when the rumours of his miracles spread, he tried to escape this attention by living in a taller cell carved into one of these formations (comprised of three chimneys). At first he lived at the top of a 2m column and later on moved on to one of 15m in height. Since then, several hermits carved cells and a church in the chimneys. There is still a small church dedicated to St. Simeon still operating in one of the chimneys.

Three Rondavels, South Africa

 

Three Rondavels are located in Blyde Canyon (third deepest in the world), in South Africa. These huge, round rocks are thought to be reminiscent of the houses or huts of the indigenous people, known as rondavels. This landscape is thought to have inspired the setting in Lord of the Rings by South African-born JRR Tolkien.

Wave Rock, Australia

The Wave Rock in Australia derives its name from the fact that it is shaped like a tall breaking ocean wave. The total outcrop covers several hectares. The wave is about 15 metres high and approximately 110 meters long. Wave Rock is composed of granite and the wave formation is thought to have formed 60 million years ago. The shape of the rock was formed by underground chemical weathering followed by removal of the soft weathered granite surface by erosion.

Devils Tower, United States

Devils Tower is America’s First National Monument. Also known as Bears Lodge, it is a sacred site for many American Indians. Erosion revealed this curiously shaped rock over time. Devils Tower was formed approximately 60 million years ago when a volcanic eruption pushed molten lava upwards. As the lava cooled, it formed these incredible basalt columns.

The Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland, UK

The Giant’s Causeway is an area of 40,000 interlocking basalt columns that were formed in an ancient volcanic eruption 50 to 60 million years ago. The Giant’s Causeway is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The tops of the columns form stepping stones that lead from the cliff foot and disappear under the sea. Most of the columns are hexagonal, although there are also columns with four, five, seven and eight sides. The tallest columns are about 12 m high, and the solidified lava in the cliffs is 28 m thick in places. The area gets its name from an old Irish legend that tells us the Irish warrior Fionn mac Cumhaill (Finn McCool) built the causeway to walk to Scotland to fight his Scottish counterpart Benandonner.

Percé Rock, Canada

Percé Rock (from French rocher Percé, “pierced rock”) is an island and sheer rock formation in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence just off the tip of the Gaspé Peninsula in Quebec, Canada. The limestone stack is 433m long, 90m wide and 88m tall at its highest point. The formation gets its name from a small arch located at the bottom. The arch can only be visited for four hours at a time during low tide.

James Bond Island, Thailand

Originally known as Ko Tapu (Nail Island), this island gained fame when it was featured in a 1974 James Bond film “The Man with the Golden Gun”. Ko Tapu is a rocky monolith about 20m tall and is located in the Phang Nga Bay, which is known for it’s beautiful rock formations.

Queen’s Head, Taiwan

This formation is located in Yehlia Geopark, Taiwain – an area of unusual natural formations of sandstone with limestone rocks which have been sculpted by wind and sea erosion.  The erosion process left interesting pillar and mushroom-shaped formations scattered throughout the site. Many of them have interesting names such as the Queen’s Head (the most famous formation shaped like Queen Nefertiti), Fairy’s Shoe, Candle, Stone Heart, Bean Curd, Dragon Head.

Spider Rock, United States

Spider Rock is a pinnacle formation in Canyon de Chelly, United States. The oldest sedimentary rock in the area was deposited in Pennsylvanian time (about 280 million years ago) in the era before dinosaurs, when the Colorado Plateau region was a hot and humid coastal plain. Today, these dominantly reddish-brown mudstone layers are exposed along the base of the canyon and in formations such as Spider Rock which have been formed by erosion over millions of years.

Ergaki Hanging Rock, Russia

Ergaki mountain range is located in Central Siberia, Russia. The Hanging Rock an enormous block of granite-syenite rock weighting 10 tones and a volume of 30m³ which lies on top of one of Ergaki’s peaks. It’s quite a mist