Entry Date: 13.02.2020, at 12:03:48 hrs (local)
Whangarei - Whangarei
Moeraki Boulders
PRID: | 11869 |
---|---|
LegID: | 323 |
LegNo: | 71 |
Latitude: | S035°50.27' |
Longitude: | E174°24.00' |
Day#: | 934 |
Log (Total): | 51195 nm |
Whether half concealed by the sand, or almost fully exposed, it´s clear from their scaly surface that they´re all formed the same way. They are concretions, which as the name suggests are made of sedimentary particles stuck together, hard and compact, formed layer by layer like a pearl over the course of four million years. The biggest ones are two meters in diameter, and weigh seven tonnes - so, although they look like bowling balls, there´s no shifting them.
It was wave action that freed them from the cliffs behind it, where they formed about 60 million years ago. There are more still up there, partially exposed, that will eventually fall to join the others.