Mystery of the cliff in China that lay stone eggs

Some experts said the ‘stone eggs’ were formed in the sea during the Cambrian Period

Over the years, geologists in China have provided some possible explanations to the cause of the phenomenon. However, none official ones have been announced.  

The ‘stone eggs’ were lumps formed by calcium carbonate molecules in the deep sea around 500 million years ago during the Cambrian Period, claimed Dr. Wang Shangyan from the Bureau of Geology and Mineral Exploration and Development of Guizhou.

In a book, called ‘Scary Phenomena’, Dr Wang said the deep sea turned into high mountains over time, and these lumps became lodged in the mountains.

And because mudstone, which forms the mountains, weathers more quickly than the lumps, it appears that the cliff is giving birth to the ‘eggs’.

Dr Wang’s opinion was largely agreed by Professor Xu Ronghua from Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Science.

But Prof. Xu said the lumps were made with silicon dioxide. 

In explaining why the objects are round, Prof. Xu told DW News: ‘A sphere has the smallest superficial area compared to other shapes with the same volume. As such, it would take the least effort for the molecules to form a sphere than the other shapes. ‘

Prof. Xu said running water could also be a factor why the lumps are round.

He added that similar phenomena had been observed in Beidaihe, north China, and Xinjiang, north-west China.

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