Large boulders shaped like nearly perfect spheres can be found in a handful of places around the world. Perched amid craggy, sandy landscapes, these curious orbs have been confounding onlookers...

These boulders are grey-colored septarian concretions, which have been exhumed from the mudstone enclosing them and concentrated on the beach by coastal erosion. Local Māori legends explained the boulders as the remains of eel baskets, calabashes, and kumara washed ashore from the wreck of Arai-te-uru, a large sailing canoe.

By analysing precarious boulders at Lovejoy Buttes, close to the San Andreas fault in the Los Angeles region, they found the risks from a one-in-10,000-year quake may have been overestimated....

Boulders are often found in areas with high rock outcroppings or where rocks have been moved by natural forces, while rocks are found all over the Earth. Boulders are also often used as landscaping features or building materials due to their size and weight, while rocks can have a variety of uses depending on their composition and size.

These geological wonders are a testament to the Earth’s natural beauty and its remarkable ability to sculpt stunning landscapes over countless millennia. Each one tells an extraordinary story of our planet’s history and the forces that continue to shape it.