With a flood of images and videos coming out of the affected area in southern and central Turkey and western Syria from the February 6, 2023 series of quakes, there are MANY inaccuracies, misattributed content, conspiracies, and pseudoscientific claims being shared and promoted by nonexperts.
Category: Anomalies & Strange Objects
Viral videos of electric rocks
January 22, 2023 was the height of a wave of social media posts about what people claimed were “electric rocks” found in the DR of Congo. A video showed a close up of someone touching two rocks together and producing a strong electric spark. The clip was widely shared and accumulated millions of views. But it was not as it appeared.
Yummy Rocks – Part 3
Part 3 of a series displaying pics of rock and mineral specimens that look remarkably like edibles. Have fun with this parade of yummy-looking rocks that resemble meat, sweets, fruits and vegetables, and other fixings.
Yummy Rocks – Part 2
Part 2 of a photo collection of rock and mineral specimens that look sweet, juicy, and good enough to eat. Yummy!
Yummy Rocks – Part 1
Part 1 of a series of photos showing rock and mineral specimens that resemble yummy food good enough to eat. Check out this forbidden food smorgasbord!
Japan’s “killing stone” splits
The infamous Sessho-seki, a protected boulder in the volcanic area of Mount Nesu in Japan, has split. The break occurred around March 5, 2022. A legend says the stone was the prison of the evil nine-tailed fox demoness Tamamo-no-Mae and that anyone who touched it died. Some people fear that evil has been released into the world. In reality, the stone had been cracked for a while and held by a rope. The rock likely split from natural weathering processes. The area is known for sulfur hot springs and potentially poisonous gases which may have contributed to the “killing stone” myth.
Booming sounds attributed to karst
Some residents of Silver Spring Township in southcentral PA began to experience booming noises days after heavy rain deluged the area in September 2021. Township officials consulted geological experts who concluded that the sounds originated underground but were not related to earthquakes. Instead, the karst system was actively moving the water and debris in the subsurface.
Demon or dino print of the Appalachian Trail
On April 18, 2021, the Northeast Archeological Resources Program posted a picture on their Facebook […]
Pine Barrens Blue Hole
The Pine Barrens area of New Jersey has plenty of small lakes or ponds that […]
Cookie monster agate
A geode infilled with milky blue quartz/agate bears an uncanny resemblance to Sesame Street’s infamous […]
Hexenplatten – the witches’ stone
In Ardez, Switzerland, there is a flat slab of calcareous shist, sometimes referred to as […]
Ringing rocks and sonorous stones
We expect a certain dull, earthy, *chink* sound when rocks are hit with a hammer. […]
Discovery of weird water pool in Lechuguilla cave
The photo of a mint-green, pristine pool in Lechuguilla cave circulating on social media resulted […]
Eye agate: The rock that looks back at you
For thousands of years, people have imparted metaphysical powers to crystals and rocks, using them […]
Faces in Places: Mimetoliths
The word “rock face” is not usually to be taken literally. Yet, around the world, […]
Devil’s Corkscrews
In the late 19th century, Nebraska’s settlers came across bizarre, giant “stone screws” vertically embedded […]
Moving rocks of the Racetrack Playa
We all can comprehend how rocks break apart due to heat and frost action and […]
River of rock flows in New Zealand
February 21, 2018. Heavy rainfall led to a rapid flow that entrained rocks of considerable […]
The hammer entombed in rock
A tenet of geology is that rocks are old. Therefore, objects of human origin embedded […]
Fairy Stones (natural crosses)
Almost all minerals, gemstones and rock types are associated with some superstitious or supernatural motifs. […]