Kummakivi
Kummakivi (lit. 'odd stone' or 'strange stone')[1] is a large balancing rock in Ruokolahti, Finland. The 7-metre-long (23 ft) boulder is a glacial erratic that lies on a convex bedrock surface with such a small footprint that it almost appears to be moving,[2] but so firmly that it cannot be rocked with human force.[3][4][5]
The stone is estimated to weigh up to 500 tons. Its exact age is said to be difficult to determine, but the unusual formation is believed to have formed over a long period of time.[6] The last Ice Age moved Kummakivi to its current location approximately 11,000–12,000 years ago. It was already a tourist attraction in the 19th century.[6]
Kummakivi, one of South Karelia's wonders, is seven meters wide and five meters high. Kummakivi was protected in 1962, and climbing on top of it is no longer allowed. It has hardly been marketed as a tourist attraction. Tourists and hikers have discovered the site over the past couple of decades.[3][6]
The boulder is located in a forest in the western part of the Ruokolahti municipality, near the border of Puumala.[7][8]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Kummakivi, UnusualPlaces.org.
- ^ julia (2021-09-22). "Kummakivi". GoSaimaa (in Finnish). Retrieved 2025-04-15.
- ^ a b "Valtava kivilohkare tasapainoilee kallion päällä – täydellinen sattuma loi Suomen luonnon käsittämättömän ihmeen". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). 2017-08-13. Retrieved 2025-04-15.
- ^ Shields, Jesslyn (24 August 2022). "Kummakivi, Finland's Balancing Rock, Seems to Defy the Laws of Physics". HowStuffWorks. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
- ^ "Kummakivi saapui luoteesta, onko sen emäkallio mahdollista löytää?". Etelä-Saimaa (in Finnish). 2016-09-08. Retrieved 2025-04-15.
- ^ a b c Holopainen, Simo (2023-11-16). "Kuva suomalaisesta kivestä leviää". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 2025-04-15.
- ^ "Kummakivi balancing rock". Atlas Obscura.
- ^ julia (2021-09-22). "Kummakivi". GoSaimaa (in Finnish). Retrieved 2025-04-15.