Tract Torysh
The valley of stone balls or the Torysh tract, as the Kazakhs call this place, is located at the northern tip of western Karatau, near the Shetpe village in Western Kazakhstan.
A large number of spherical stones are collected here, scattered over a large area. The balls are generally 3-4 meters in diameter.
It is believed that these are nodules - hard compact stone masses formed by the precipitation of minerals. They are usually spherical and form in sedimentary rock or soil. This phenomenon is not uncommon, examples of such nodules can be found around the globe. However, the size of the stones is considered rare. Nodules as large as in the Torysh tract have been found in only a few places on Earth. The Moeraki boulders in New Zealand are one such example.
Moeraki Stone Balls
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The Moeraki boulders are large spherical stones scattered across the sandy beach, but they are unusual stones. These boulders are called septaria (a type of nodule) and were formed in ancient seabed sediments. The way septaria are formed is similar to the formation of pearls in oysters, where the core is coated layer by layer.
In oysters, a grain of sand acts as the core, and in boulders it can be a fossil shell, a fragment of bone or a piece of wood. Over time, lime in the sea envelops the core, and the nodule grows into a perfectly circular sphere up to three meters in diameter.
Atmospheric erosion has exposed a network of veins on the boulders, due to which the stones have become like turtle shells. In Hawk Bay on the North Island, scientists have discovered perfectly preserved skeletons of turtles, sea snails and extinct reptiles in the central core of boulders.
Local legends tell that the stone balls are the remains of kalebas (drinking vessels) from Arai-te-uru, a huge canoe that transported people. The rocky shoals extending out to sea from Step Point are the hull of a sunken canoe, and the nearby rocky promontory is the captain's petrified body.
If you find yourself in New Zealand, by no means miss this place. Photo enthusiasts will find impressive coastal landscapes here, while ordinary tourists will find another place on their personal travel map that will not leave them indifferent.
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