Sep/24

The Valley of Stone Balls on Mangyshlak Peninsula

No comments · Posted by Sergei Rzhevsky in Nature, Regions, Travel

Mangyshlak Peninsula is located on the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea in Kazakhstan. Mangystau Oblast is located on its territory.

One of the natural attractions of the peninsula is the Torysh Tract, which is located about 105 km north of the city of Aktau on the western end of the Western Karatau Ridge, 17 km east of the village of Tauchik.

The Torysh Tract is also known as the “Valley of Balls”. Thousands of stone balls with diameters from 10-15 cm to 4 meters are scattered across its vast territory. They were formed on the bottom of the ancient Tethys Ocean about 40-60 million years ago. The Valley of Balls on Google Maps. Photos by: Vladimir Mulder.

In scientific terms, all these spherical stones are “concretions”, that is, they were formed by the growth of minerals or mineral substances around certain bodies. These were shark teeth, shells, stones, plants and other objects that became a magnet for minerals in the water of the Tethys Ocean.

Gradually, layer by layer, new mineral deposits grew around the body, which then gradually petrified. Due to the homogeneity of the environment in which the concretions grew, they took on a spherical shape. If the environment was different, uneven, then the concretions also grew altered, most often flattened.

Over millions of years, the floor of the Tethys Ocean rose, and over the next millions of years, softer rocks eroded away, and numerous stone balls rose to the surface.

The Valley of Balls in Torysh is an amazing place, but not unique. Similar concretions have been found all over the world! The most famous are: Moeraki Boulders in New Zealand, Champ Island on the Franz Josef Land archipelago in Russia, Bowling Ball Beach in California, USA.

However, it is in Mangystau that the largest accumulation of huge stones is located – they are scattered over an area of several kilometers, and their number is in the thousands.

Getting to the Valley of Balls in Torysh is quite simple – you need to drive about 105 km north from Aktau on an asphalt road, towards the village of Tauchik, and then turn right, and another 7-8 km along a dirt road, to one of the clusters of stones. Thus, to travel to Torysh you need an SUV.