Rock “Stone wave. stone wave frozen wave in stone
Perhaps everyone knows that Australia is famous for its magnificent waves, thanks to which it attracts thousands of divers from all over the world. However, there is another unusual wave in Australia, which you can conquer without a surfboard and the ability to swim. We are talking about the Australian Stone Wave - a rock of an unusual shape.
This natural phenomenon is called "Stone Wave" or "Rock Wave", and it got its name because the rock looks like someone froze the rock or turned it into a stone statue. This famous attraction is located in Western Australia, not far from the small town of Hayden. More than 140 thousand tourists come to see this wonder of the world every year.
The total length of the rock is 110 meters, and the height is 15 meters. Scientists argue about the age of this rock, and the most daring predictions claim that the Stone Wave is more than two and a half billion years old. The distinctive feature of this natural phenomenon in that the rock has no sharp corners, it has a flat surface and a homogeneous structure. There are legends about the appearance of the Stone Wave in Australia. Aboriginal people believe that this trail was left by the Rainbow Serpent. In ancient times, this mythical character drank all the water in the nearby area and crawled along the ground, leaving behind such an incredible trail. That is why there are legends about the Stone Wave, and the indigenous Australians consider these territories a sacred place. For example, in the rock there is the Mulka cave, named after the cannibal boy. On the walls of this cave there are prints of human palms, but they are located so high that an ordinary person cannot reach them. Similar legends are very scary for the indigenous people, so the Australians bypass the Stone Wave.
Scientists treat these stories with distrust and are looking for a scientific explanation. So, according to one version, the rock was formed as a result of washing out and weathering of rocks, but why it happened so beautifully and smoothly is not clear. According to another version, on the contrary, it was not the rock that was washed out, but the earth in contact with the rock, which led to the appearance of smooth transitions on the rock. A reliable answer is currently unknown, but the beauty of this phenomenon amazes everyone. Depending on the change in lighting, the color of the rock changes - it shimmers, changing shades to more red and brown, then, on the contrary, it becomes gray. Thus, from afar, it really seems as if this is a real wave that emerged from the ground and suddenly froze. By the way, a similar phenomenon can be observed in another part of the planet - the Arizona wave is located in the USA. However, if in America the Arizona Wave is based on sandstone, then the Stone Wave in Australia consists of granite.
In 1928, a small wall was erected on the crest of the wave. This was created to allow rainwater to flow into a small reservoir, creating a water reserve for the first European settlers. It is paradoxical that in numerous photographs from this place the wall is almost invisible.
Since 2005, the Wave Rock Weekender music festival has been held annually at the Stone Wave, which gathers thousands of music lovers. In general, about 140,000 tourists visit this attraction every year. Each of them considers it his duty to take a memorable photo in the pose of a surfer storming the next Wave. By the way, not far from the Stone Wave there is another unusual stone formation - after 1 kilometer to the east you can find the Hippos Yawn cave. The smooth walls of the cave make it look like the jaws of a hippopotamus.
Surfers cannot ride such a wave, but nevertheless, Stone Wave Rock in Australia is one of the most amazing rock formations in the world. Multimillion-dollar layers of rocks look as if this rock is indeed frozen water, turned into stone by time.
Wave frozen in stone
It reaches over 15 meters in height and over 91 meters in length. For more than a dozen years, the Stone Wave rock has attracted tourists from all over the world. In the language of geologists, this is a slope of variable elevation, which is formed at the base of the inselberg (an isolated outcrop of crystalline rocks on the surface of the earth in a flat area). There are several other such formations in Australia, but none of them are as impressive as Stone Wave, which flanks one side of Hayden Rock.
A low stone fence is built along the entire upper edge of the wave, which is unlikely to protect someone from falling, but, by all accounts, disfigures the spectacle and clearly does not add popularity to photographs of the rock. In fact, the fence is not supposed to protect anyone from falling: it is not a fence at all, but part of an aqueduct built in the 1920s years, in order to bring water to arid regions, which is still in operation today.
August 19, 2014On the border of the states of Arizona and Utah, there are unique stone waves, consisting of arrays of smooth red stone. The color of the waves resembles multi-colored lines of soft candy twisted around its axis. Interestingly, this unusual stone was formed from sand, compressed over a long 190 million years.
Natural wonders on American soil
An incredible sight awaits tourists in the deserted Verimillion Canyon on the Colorado Plateau. Intersecting U-shaped depressions form the incredible beauty of the "waves". This stone sea has two gutters, the dimensions of which are 19m x 36m and 2m x 16m. In ancient times, water and wind erosion contributed to the formation of depressions. Now the drainage flows have stopped, and only the wind affects the masses of compressed sand.
Interesting landmark in the USA
In which travelers who are lucky enough to fall into this pit fall, it amazes everyone. The lines stretch and stretch, it seems that they have neither beginning nor end. I want to follow the multi-colored lines leading to an unknown world. A huge wave resembles a pool, the walls of which are covered with shiny tiles. and delicate shades are present here: pink, brown, pale green, turquoise, orange.
The fantastic landscape is often photographed for various publications. The brightest colors are on the surface of the "wave" around noon, while there is no shadow in the center. But at sunset, and at the beginning of the day, the view is also very beautiful.
How to get to the reserve
This area is protected by the state. Only 20 people can visit the incredible world per day. Such precautions can save the "stone sea" from destruction, because sandstone is quite fragile.
The first 10 permits are drawn through an online lottery. Another 10 become available the day before the hike, again through a lottery. Among tourists from Europe, an amazing wave became popular after the release of the German documentary film about the wonderful places of the planet.
You can visit the extraordinary "wave" throughout the year. The main thing is to get the coveted permission and win the lottery. April-May and October are the most popular months for visiting the "stone sea" of amazing color.
Stone waves in the USA photo
The coast of Australia is famous for its waves. Usually they originate in the ocean, they are constantly conquered by surfers. But there is another interesting wave here that you can “ride” without having a surfboard, and even without having the skills of a surfer. Moreover, you don’t even have to get into the water.
In the southwestern part of the country in the state of Western Australia, there is a natural phenomenon called "Stone Wave" or "Wave Rock" (in the original Wave Rock). This natural formation looks like someone has bewitched and turned an ordinary wave into stone.
Stone wave on the map
- Geographic coordinates (-32.443791, 118.897522)
- Distance from the Australian capital Canberra about 2800 km in a straight line
- The nearest airport is Wave Rock (originally Wave Rock Airport) about 1.5 km to the north. But this is a very small airport for light aircraft.
- Ravensthorpe Airport 200 km south
- Major airport Perth 300 km to the west
- The nearest settlement is the town of Heiden, 3.5 kilometers to the west
The stone wave is located 300 meters from the Wave Rock Road and is a semicircular ledge of granite rock, stretching from east to west. Smooth, even structure, smooth transitions and the absence of sharp edges are the hallmarks of this ancient formation.
The total length of the rock is about 110 meters. Its height reaches 15 meters. Looking at this grandiose monument, no other name but a stone wave simply came to mind. Is that different variations on the theme of "frozen wave" or "stopped wave". Locals and the whole world call this attraction simply The Wave Rock (literally, Rock Wave).
The local tribes believed that the stone wave was made by the Rainbow Serpent. Once upon a time, the Serpent drank all the water on earth and crawled in these places, leaving behind such an amazing trail. Aborigines naturally considered Stone Wave a sacred place where nature spirits exist.
Scientists suggest that the Stone Wave began to form over 2.5 billion years ago by weathering and washing out of rocks. But that's why it happened so filigree and exactly is not entirely clear. According to some reports, for millions of years, not the granite rock itself was washed away, but part of the surface layer of the earth, exposing a more solid rock.
It is worth noting that the Wave "plays" in the sun. That is, it changes its color depending on the angle of incidence of sunlight. The vertical stripes of the Rock become either reddish, or yellow, or gray, thereby even more resembling a real wave.
Stone Wave photo
Not far from the miniature town of Heiden is a rock formation, which is considered one of the greatest creations of nature. "Stone wave" - this is how the locals called the huge rock formation, which has a rather bizarre shape, resembling a sea crest rising above the water surface. Every year, almost 140 thousand tourists from all over the world come to Western Australia to see this amazing creation of nature with their own eyes.
If you manage to visit these parts, then upon closer examination of the Stone Rock, you will see that next to it there is a support that almost completely repeats the shape of this unique natural phenomenon. Scientists specially created it artificially so that rainwater flows down it into a small reservoir. Such structures are often built near similar rocks located in the Whitbelt region.
We can tell everyone who is fond of geology that, according to scientists, the granite formation we are describing was formed hundreds of years ago and is a product of erosion of the surface of mountains called Hayden Rock. The action of natural forces was so significant that they were able to form an amazingly shaped rock, the height of which reaches 110 meters and a length of 15. It is believed that it acquired its final form already 60 million years ago under the influence of chemical weathering, as well as the natural movement of soft rocks of granite. The heterogeneity of the composition of the rock causes the formation of an amazing phenomenon. So, depending on the angle of incidence of the sun's rays, the color of the surface of the described natural attraction is constantly changing.
Several times a year, this unique natural reserve hosts a music festival, which is attended by famous underground music performers.