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One of the world’s most bizarre geological features still remains a mystery

Home> News> World News

Updated 20:37 18 Dec 2023 GMTPublished 12:15 18 Dec 2023 GMT

One of the world’s most bizarre geological features still remains a mystery

The rock was discovered in the 1800s

Niamh Shackleton

Niamh Shackleton

Mother Nature is an undeniably talented woman.

From Arizona's Horseshoe Bend to Scotland's Fairy Pools, there are hundreds of beautiful creations across the globe.

While many of these natural beauties' formations can be explained, there's one that's still baffling people to this day.

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The Al Naslaa Rock Formation.

Located in the Tayma Oasis, Saudi Arabia, the 20ft rock sits upon two pedestals and, while it looks like it could topple over at any minute - it doesn't.

But that isn't what bamboozles people, it's the perfect spilt down the middle of the large rock that looks as if it could have been done with a modern-day machine.

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It couldn't have been, however, as the Al Naslaa Rock Formation was discovered in 1877.

And the rock is thought to date back thousands of years as it boasts petroglyphs up to 4,000 years old.

With its age and perfect split in mind, people have long questioned how the Al Naslaa Rock came to be.

Was it a natural disaster? Did humans meddle with it? Did Mother Nature herself casually pop down from where ever she lives with a lightsaber in tow to cut it in two?

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Who knows.

The Al Naslaa rock was discovered in the 1800s.
Disdero via Wikimedia Commons

There have been several theories put forward over the years; one being that it the divide was created from a fault line.

The ground beneath the large block of sandstone may have shifted at one point, causing the weakest part of it (the center) to split.

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Sandstone is known for its natural layering and fault lines.

As to how it ended up so perfectly divided, it's been suggested that over years of wind and sand blowing through it that it eventually sanded down what once may have been a jagged edge.

Another idea is that it was caused by tectonic activity - something that's not uncommon in the Tayma Oasis region.

Movements in the Earth’s crust and the forces of compression and tension could have played a part in its formation.

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The stone is located in the Saudi Arabian desert.
Aldo Pavan/Getty

Elsewhere, another theory that's been put forward is that frost wedging caused the rock to split.

This is 'a geological process where water seeps into cracks in rocks, freezes, and expands, causing the cracks to widen and potentially lead to the splitting of rocks', writes geologyscience.com.

Others have suggested that it could have been a result of human intervention after all, but there isn't thought to be any evidence to prove this.

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I guess we'll never know.

Featured Image Credit: Disdero via Wikimedia Commons / Reza/Getty Images

Topics: News, World News, Science

Niamh Shackleton
Niamh Shackleton

Niamh Shackleton is an experienced journalist for UNILAD, specialising in topics including mental health and showbiz, as well as anything Henry Cavill and cat related. She has previously worked for OK! Magazine, Caters and Kennedy.

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@niamhshackleton

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