Miss Cellania
Nature’s Stone Giants
by Miss Cellania - November 17, 2009 - 9:39 AM
bloghead_M.C.Files.gif

Stonehenge is impressive, but pales in comparison to the massive stone pillars Mother Nature gave us. The real stories of how they came to be are as fascinating as the legends that people use to explain unusual rock formations.

England: Brimham Rocks

550brimham

The Brimham Rocks near Nidderdale, Yorkshire Dales, England are said to have been carved by druids, but they date back to around 320 million years ago when the Yorkshire area formed from sand and other materials washed down from Norway and Scotland, leaving an area known as the Millstone Grit. Later glaciers carved the land down, leaving the strangely-shaped stones exposed, in the period from roughly 73,000 BC to 10,000 BC. The rocks now stand at a little less than 30 meters tall. Some rocks resemble animals or human faces, and have been named for their appearance or for the local legends that grew up around them. The Brimham Rocks area is owned by the National Trust and is open daily for visitors. Image by Flickr user floato.

Canada: Flowerpot Island

550_Flowerpots

Flowerpot Island, Ontario gets its name from two rock formations on its eastern shore. A local legend says that two lovers from warring tribes eloped to the island and were somehow turned to stone. A profile of a face is visible on one of the stones if you view it at the right angle. The island is part of The Fathom Five National Marine Park and is a popular tourist destination. Image by Thesofa.


Madagascar: Tsingy de Bemaraha

550_stone-forest

Tsingy de Bemaraha national park in Madagascar has a forest of limestone pillars. The word tsingy means “where one cannot walk barefoot.” Water eroded caves and passages through the land, the roofs of which eventually collapsed and left the pillars standing up to 70 meters tall. The tops of the rocks have a vastly different ecosystem from the valleys, and from the surrounding savannahs. The stone forest is home to thousands of species not seen outside of Madagascar. Image by Stephen Alvarez for National Geographic.

Russia: Man-Pupu-Nyor

375urals

Seven rock formations called Man-Pupu-Nyor (little mountain of the gods) stand in the Komi Republic, a part of the Ural Mountain area of Russia. The seven pillars range from 30 to 42 meters tall! They formed when erosion washed away the mountain that once surrounded them over a period of 200 million years. Legend says the stones are evil giants who had a spell cast upon them. The remote location of the pillars makes tourism difficult, but you can get there by helicopter or snowmobile if you are determined.

Northern Ireland: The Giant’s Causeway

550giantscauseway

The Giant’s Causeway is on the northeast coast of Northern Ireland. Legend says that the giant Finn McCool built the causeway so he could fight his enemy Benandonner in Scotland. The rock formation looks like a set of mostly hexagonal man made stepping stones, but this is a natural formation of basalt laid down by volcanic activity. During the Tertiary period some 65 million years ago, this piece of land was near the equator. Lava tubes pressed up through a chalk layer to form the pillars. The geometric shapes were caused by crystallization of the basalt as it cooled and cracked. The causeway is open to the public and can be reached by a shuttle bus. Devil’s Postpile is a similar formation in California. Image by Flickr user Jimbofin.

Faroe Islands: Drangarnir

550Drangarnir

Two sea stacks situated between the Faroe islands of Vagar and Tindhólmur are collectively called Drangarnir. The two rocks are called Stóri Drangur (large cliff) and Lítli Drangur (small cliff). You’ll find them halfway between Scotland and Iceland. They, along with the rest of the islands, were formed by eruptions of volcanic basalt. The best view of the stones are from the mountain on Vagar, which has tourist facilities. Image by Erik Christensen.

See also: Rocks that Rock: 8 Stone Giant Sites

« Previous Post   -   Next Post »
Click here to get a Risk-Free issue of mental_floss magazine
Comments (58)

  1. I hate that I know this, but…The Giant’s Causeway was also the setting for an alien planet in the first Power Rangers movie.

    posted by Steven on 11-17-2009 at 10:16 am

  2. You forgot another one that looks alot like the last one Quiet spectacular too
    http://www.rocherperce.qc.ca/an/pan.asp

    posted by Frank on 11-17-2009 at 11:30 am

  3. Giant’s Causeway is also on the cover of Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy album. Oddly enought, the song “Houses of the Holy” actually shows up on their next album Physical Graffiti.

    posted by Ben on 11-17-2009 at 11:42 am

  4. Don’t forget the Devil’s Marbles (and Uluru) in Australia!!

    everyone forgets Australia :(

    posted by the creature on 11-17-2009 at 11:42 am

  5. Best fact of my day Steven…

    But they say that there is a similar one in California… I wonder if they used that one?

    I know they filmed the fight scenes at Kenneth Hahn park soo… Who knows?

    posted by Chrystani on 11-17-2009 at 11:45 am

  6. Steven, you made my day with the random Power rangers fact. Seriously. I will have a smile on my face for hours! Thanks!

    posted by megan on 11-17-2009 at 1:57 pm

  7. The wonders created by mother nature are much more amazing than anything ever created by man…

    posted by William K Wallace on 8-26-2010 at 5:17 pm

  8. Two more Scottish ones:

    Orkney Isles: ‘Old Man of Hoy’ http://jpgmag.com/photos/2211

    Shetland Isles: ‘Dore Holm’ (derived from ‘door’ & ‘holm’, of Scandinavian origin, meaning a small island.
    http://tinyurl.com/2epwva4

    posted by Jet on 9-1-2010 at 3:32 pm

  9. Bien vu Frank:-) tu fais la promo de coin de pays :-)

    posted by Denis on 9-12-2010 at 10:04 am

  10. And there’s the Pinnacles Desert in Western Australia too; fascinating place.

    posted by Craig on 9-16-2010 at 6:41 am

  11. http://www.thehopewellrocks.ca/

    dont forget canada! the maritimes! these rocks are awesome too. :)

    posted by andrea on 9-21-2010 at 10:22 am

  12. Turnip Rock in Michigan is just a little oddity you don’t see everyday.

    http://www.depnerfarms.com/turniprock.html

    posted by Bud Tugley on 9-24-2010 at 2:59 am

  13. Re the giants causeway his name was Fionn Mac-Cuil. Finn McCool made me lol.

    posted by Siobhan on 9-25-2010 at 12:44 pm

  14. Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs surely belongs on your wonderful little list. Enjoyed it thanks! Check my Blog for similar travel stuff.

    posted by Creighton Smith on 9-25-2010 at 1:42 pm

  15. Thanks for the great list! Someone above mentioned that everyone forgets Australia .. so true! We have lots of geological marvels that deserve a mention, such as the Devil’s Marbles, the Bungle Bungles, Wave Rock, the Twelve Apostles and of course Uluru.

    posted by Cassie on 9-26-2010 at 7:37 am

  16. As I scrolled, I kept expecting to see the stone formations in Cappadocia http://www.flickr.com/photos/44462122@N00/4014221064/

    posted by Patrick on 10-5-2010 at 4:03 pm

  17. The ‘flower pots’ of New Brunswick, Canada (simply called “The Rocks”) are also a major formation, rivaling the ones mentioned in Ontario.

    posted by Bob on 10-5-2010 at 4:55 pm

  18. Great place and photography too, thanks for compiling and sharing them…. the info thing/description about each pic made it more enjoyable going through the post.

    posted by Ahmed on 10-7-2010 at 6:20 pm

  19. Check out the rock formation in Garni gorge, Armenia. Nothing like it.

    http://damncoolpics.blogspot.com/2008/09/garni-gorge.html

    posted by MA on 10-14-2010 at 2:03 pm

  20. That’s a strange miracle of Nature.

    posted by kkparashar on 10-15-2010 at 1:29 pm

  21. The Sphinx in Romania is incredible! http://www.pictures-of-romania.com/Sphinx-and-Babele.html

    posted by iulia on 10-15-2010 at 4:16 pm

  22. Also notable is the fantastic White Desert in Egypt. White sandstone statues carved by nature, looks like something out of Star Wars.

    http://www.shunya.net/Pictures/Egypt/Farafra/WhiteDesert.htm

    posted by AMA on 10-19-2010 at 5:35 am

  23. The Man-Pupu-Nyor photo looks like something right out Star Wars!

    posted by Dale Cruse on 10-19-2010 at 6:27 pm

  24. here is another one http://www.viajescondestino.com/playa-de-las-catedrales-lugo/

    posted by elfer_ on 10-20-2010 at 4:33 pm

  25. Great photos. I think you should have included “Djavolja varos” stone formation in Serbia.
    It looks great

    posted by Brankica on 10-20-2010 at 7:37 pm

  26. Great post, El Torcal in Spain is another great place for seeing amazing rocks http://www.absoluteaxarquia.com/areas/eltorcal.html

    posted by PS Website Design Leeds on 10-22-2010 at 7:34 am

  27. There is still so many places to see, thanks for showing a bit

    posted by James on 10-22-2010 at 12:09 pm

  28. Check this out, it’s called The Sphinx and it is situated in the Carpathians in Romania http://www.thelivingmoon.com/43ancients/04images/Earth/Rock_Faces/Bucegi_Sfinx_01.jpg

    posted by Veronica on 10-22-2010 at 5:08 pm

  29. WHAT ABOUT ARCHES NATIONAL PARK!!! YOUR BLOWING IT!!

    posted by jr on 10-26-2010 at 4:02 pm

  30. Some times there’s so much beauty in the world, I can barely take it.

    posted by k on 10-28-2010 at 9:38 am

  31. And what about the rock formations on Milos island,Greece?

    http://www.google.gr/images?hl=el&biw=1024&bih=572&q=%CE%9CILOS%20ROCK%20FORMATIONS&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi

    posted by Roni on 10-29-2010 at 2:05 am

  32. Bryce Canyon, anyone?

    posted by cheesia on 10-30-2010 at 8:18 pm

  33. There is another one natural phenomenon in Kursumlija, Serbia. It’s called Devils Town.

    posted by aksint on 11-3-2010 at 10:27 am

  34. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cappadocia

    must see!

    posted by nature on 11-4-2010 at 7:25 am

  35. Hi Miss Cellania,

    Impressive and Beautiful – Only in Nature can we behold just beauty and majesty. Thanks for the information and pictures.

    posted by Joan Stewart on 11-7-2010 at 8:43 am

  36. What about Hampi, Karnataka, India- please check out the absolutely amazing natural rock formations

    posted by nandini on 11-7-2010 at 10:41 am

  37. Cappadocia in Turkey should be at the top of this list. Its amazing.

    posted by Karakoyunn on 11-11-2010 at 8:30 am

  38. Nice collection.
    I would also add Meteora in Greece.
    Check the pictures in wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteora

    posted by siteseeing on 11-15-2010 at 4:27 pm

  39. these are great places for photography too.

    posted by fajas colombianas on 1-12-2011 at 11:43 am

  40. And the Bungle Bungles in Western Australia…

    And if we’re talking about Uluru, there is also Mount Connor and Mt Augustus which are other monoliths. (Mt Augustus in WA is the largest in the world).

    posted by Louise on 3-30-2011 at 9:51 am

  41. Dont forget Halong Bay in Vietnam! A million times more gorgeous than any of these

    posted by LP on 4-17-2011 at 12:45 am

  42. Great photo series, the natural rock creations amaze me… I’m almost more apt to believe some of the tales behind them!

    posted by Kyle Morgan on 8-1-2011 at 7:47 am

  43. This was a fascinating photo essay! The one place (Flowerpot Island) is right in my home country of Canada & I never even knew about it b4.

    posted by Nomadic Samuel on 8-7-2011 at 8:01 pm

  44. Loved the Giants Causeway when I visited Northern Ireland. Now I’ve discovered a few more amazing sites to visit one day!
    Thanks:)

    posted by Joe on 8-24-2011 at 1:52 am

  45. How on earth have I never heard of Brimham Rocks?! As an Englishman I am therefore also a disgrace.

    I’d love to see Madagascar properly, those rock formations are high on my agenda.

    Great post!

    posted by Chris Booth on 11-3-2011 at 5:41 am

  46. It’s amazing what beautiful artwork mother nature can create for us! Takes your breath away! Even the “sculptures” that are man made are amazing!!

    posted by Kali on 11-8-2011 at 1:52 am

  47. Wow! I never knew that big rocks can be this cool!

    posted by Dylan on 11-11-2011 at 10:22 pm

  48. That is so cool! Definatly a must see!

    posted by Jiggles75 on 11-13-2011 at 5:16 pm

  49. There´s also the incredible moon-like landscape of El Torcal in Andalucia.

    http://andaluciaexplorer.blogspot.com/2011/06/el-torcal-de-antequera.html

    posted by Rachel on 11-14-2011 at 3:22 am

  50. Truly Amazing! :D

    posted by Micamyx|Senyorita on 11-15-2011 at 5:58 pm

  51. Nice collection! One of our favorites is the fairy chimney formations in Cappadocia, Turkey. Just incredible, leaves you breathless.

    posted by culture_ist on 11-18-2011 at 9:53 pm

  52. Amazing places The picture from Madagascar seems almost unreal…

    posted by Tobias on 11-19-2011 at 5:07 pm

  53. The Giant’s Causeway is impressive. I think I first saw a write up of it on TravelExplosion.com some time ago. It looks like someone cut the rock!

    posted by Barbahrooba on 1-2-2012 at 11:07 pm

  54. I agree that these are a lot more impressive than Stonehenge. The Madagascan forest looks crazy!

    posted by Gemma on 1-10-2012 at 6:07 pm

  55. Another nominee for this list: Devil’s Tower in Wyoming

    posted by PaleBlue on 1-22-2012 at 12:38 am

  56. Another one I expected to be on this list is the pancake rocks, in Punakaiki New Zealand…

    posted by Danny on 1-24-2012 at 2:53 am

  57. don’t forget hopewell rocks in New Brunswick, Canada :)

    posted by cailin on 2-1-2012 at 1:43 am

  58. There is a rock in Oz called Balancing rock which would fit perfect in this, loks completely wrong! :)

    posted by Tim on 2-8-2012 at 12:26 pm

Comment

commenting policy