Kummakivi: Why this 500-ton boulder doesn't fall off a small cliff

Translated from Finnish, Kummakivi means "wonderful stone." And this natural object, hidden in the forests of southeastern Finland, really lives up to its name. Imagine: a huge boulder measuring 7x4x5 meters and weighing about 500 tons is balanced, resting on a tiny convex section of rock measuring only 0.5 square meters. This stone looks very impressive, and tourists often come to admire it. There are many hypotheses about how this landmark appeared, but scientists have long known how everything really happened.

Local legend has it that long ago, when there were no people on earth, the forests were inhabited by trolls and giants. A dispute arose between two tribes of giants over territory. To resolve the conflict, they erected a huge boulder on a cliff - it was to serve as a boundary marker. The trolls, who were at odds with the giants, decided to throw the stone down. They tried to do so, but they lacked the strength, and the plan failed.

Some romantics claim that Kummakivi is a living stone. According to ancient legends, there is a void inside it where a certain creature lives. Its breathing can be heard on quiet summer nights. Local elders see evidence of the living nature of the boulder in the pine tree that once grew right on its top.

Ufologists and mystics often wander around Kummakivi with amulets, devices and frames, testing the energy fields. Some researchers believe that the boulder was left by a vanished civilization. Others see it as an altar of an ancient Scandinavian god. There are also those who associate the balancing stone with an alien visit to Earth.

Particularly impressionable enthusiasts examine various drawings on the surface of the stone - from battles between trolls and giants to meetings of the first people with aliens from a neighboring galaxy. Previously, a wooden staircase led to the top of the stone, which lovers of the mysterious climbed. In the 1960s, local authorities decided to turn Kummakivi into a popular tourist attraction.

Fortunately, the authorities changed their minds. They reasonably decided that crowds of curious people would damage not only the boulder itself, but also the surrounding forest. The stairs were removed, and the idea of creating tourist infrastructure was left in the past. But the balancing boulder still attracts lovers of curiosities, who come here even in winter. In 1962, Kummakivi was added to the register of protected natural sites.

An information board was installed next to the stone for visitors. However, its data is questionable. If the dimensions of the block are indicated correctly, then the weight in the "passport" is only 182 tons. The volume of the stone is easy to calculate: it is approximately 140 cubic meters. Knowing the density of the rock, we can determine that the weight of the forest giant reaches at least 400 tons. Therefore, the figure of 500 tons, which is most often mentioned, is much closer to reality.

Scientists do not see any mystery in Kummakivi. They know not only how the giant stone ended up on the cliff, but also when it happened. The natural monument appeared thanks to the last Pleistocene ice age. It began about 116 thousand years ago and ended 11.5 thousand years ago.

The glacier, moving through Scandinavia, brought the boulder "on its back" from Sweden or Norway. These countries are located in the Baltic Shield zone - a massive folded formation consisting of granite and gneiss. That is why huge boulders are found everywhere there.

Finnish geologist Aimo Keijonen believes that the boulder has not traveled far. This is indicated by the sharp, jagged edges. Stones carried by a glacier from afar usually have smooth, polished sides. Kummakivi lay on the ice for some time, but then the glacier began to melt, and the stone gradually sank down.

Unlike thousands of other boulders found in Finnish and Karelian forests, Kummakivi was lucky to land smoothly on a rocky ledge. The glacier had prepared a platform for the "Wonderful Stone" in advance, leveling the top of a small cliff. Attempts to determine the "homeland" of the stone, unfortunately, were unsuccessful - this type of rock is widespread in northern Europe. It remains to add that there are plenty of balancing stones in the world. They are on all continents of the planet.

So what makes Kummakivi truly amazing – its unusual history, scientific explanation or an aura of mystery shrouded in legends? What do you find most interesting about this natural phenomenon – its geological origin or mystical assumptions? Share your opinion in the comments!