A Beach Full of Surprises

Moeraki Boulders

Nature is full of wonderful, mysterious oddities and things that can seem fascinating to the human eye. Although they may look like huge marbles littered on the beach by careless giant kids, the Moeraki Boulders in New Zealand are one of the most fascinating wonders of the natural world. Found along Koekohe Beach near Moeraki, these spherical boulders were formed nearly 58 million years ago. The beach is located approximately 40 kilometers south of Oamaru, in the Otago region of New Zealand.They are scattered all over the beach, and can be seen as clusters or isolated on certain spots.

In some cases ,this is quite natural ,because of the erosion . The small and easy to to transport rocks have been stolen over time often to decorate gartens recent times they have become a popular tourist attraction, often described and pictured in web pages and tourist guides.There are over 50 boulders along Koekohe Beach

COMPOSITION

Detailed anlysis of the fine – grained rock using optical mineralogy,X –Ray, Crystallography, and Electronic Microprobe has determined that the boulders consist of mud ,fine silt and clay, cemented by calcite. The degree of cementation varies from being relatively weak in the interior of a boulder to quite hard at its outside rim.the outside rim of the larger boulders consist of as much as 10 to 20 %calcite because the calcite not only tightly cement the silt and clay but has also replaced it to significant degree .the composition of the moraKie boulders and the septaria that they contain are typical of, often virtually identical to,septarian concretion that have been found in exposure of sedimentary rocks in New Zealand. Detailed analysis of the boulders found them to be composed of fine silt, clay, and mud. On the outside rims, the boulders are cemented by calcite. This is the reason that the boulders are quite weak inside and hard around the outside. Other minerals found in the boulders include magnesium and iron along with stable isotopes of carbon and oxygen.

ORIGIN

There are many myths and legends associated with these bizarre rock formations.

1).The Māoris consider these rocks to be eel baskets that were left at the shore after the legendary canoe, Āraiteuru, was shipwrecked.

2). Some suggest that these spherical rocks might have landed on the beach after a volcanic explosion,

3). The Myth of Alien EggsThere are weird theories about these boulders being alien eggs. Apparently the "alien eggs" are sent from outer space and have been washed up on the shore by the ocean. Since some of these boulders have cracked, people believe that some of these eggs might have hatched!

Scientific :

Facts pro+

1).The Moeraki Boulders are believed to have been formed nearly 56 million years before. They were exposed nearly 15 million years ago.

2). The biggest boulders weigh 7 tons and measure over 2 metres across.

3). The largest boulders are estimated to have taken about 4million years to gettt to their current size

4). The scientific explanation remains incomplete Their origin is unclear and unexpected locations remain largely unexplained

5).There is one very large Moeraki boulder outside the Otago Museum in Dunedin – it was taken there by truck in the late 1800s; long before laws were changed to give protection to the boulders. It is located outside the old main entrance of the museum on Great King Street. It measures 6 feet (over 182cm) in height and weighs more than 7 tons; making it one of the largest boulders. There are also much smaller Boulders on display inside the Museum

6).Much more than geological curiosity, the Moeraki Boulders are emblematic of New Zealand. This explains the good position in ranking of the country's best places. It is unique in the world and worth the visit