Stone balls in Klokočov and Lipová

Klokočov

The Klokočov locality forms the western boundary of the belt with findings of stone balls. I found two stone balls on the side of the road during the site visit. Both specimens were transported here from the original discovery site. Other stone balls can be found in the area of Klokočovské skály (Klokočovské Rocks). The structure of the surrounding terrain has the same composition as in Megoňky; it is a chaotically mixed mixture of various types of exotic rocks, sands and clay.

Lipovany

There is an interesting geological locality in Lipovany, near Lučenec. Here you can see sand benches and walls that were formed by the tidal currents of the shallow subtropical sea. Stone balls up to 30 centimetres in diameter were found. The stone balls were formed in the same period because they are all in the same layer.

How were the stone balls created?

According to the opinion of the locals who regularly accompany me around the area, the stone balls represent the fossilized seeds of ancient plants. Others say they are fossilized eggs of mythical dinosaurs. The old inhabitants claim that the balls came from the sky.

The mystery was researched and investigated by healers and doctors from Japan. They claim that being near them at sunrise has a beneficial effect on women who cannot conceive for various reasons.

A look at the paleontological map of the Moravian Museum in Brno reveals that Megoňky and Klokočov once formed the coastline of the Tethys Ocean. According to geologists, the stone balls were formed by the rotation of rock in the sea surf. However, there are no fossilized shells to be found in the entire area!

The chaotically mixed diverse materials in Kysuce are more reminiscent of a disaster scene than a sea surf. What geological processes took place here and how the stone balls were formed remains an unanswered question.

As far as climatic conditions are concerned, Turzovská vrchovina (the Turzovská Uplands) region is one of the harshest. This accelerates the decay of stone balls.

Recent development

I have been visiting the quarry in Megoňky regularly since 1998. I found out an interesting fact. The stone balls are placed 1.5 to 2 metres below the current surface. I can conclude that they were originally lying on a horizontal surface and then they were clogged with material. Mountain-forming processes later lifted them with the rock to the present slope. The material from which the stone balls are made has a bulk weight of approximately two tons. According to calculations, the weight of the largest stone balls in Megoňky is 25 to 30 tons.

A careful inspection of the site with the stone balls reveals interesting facts that can be summarized in the following points:

The stone balls in Megoňky lie on a line at a depth of 1.5 to 2 metres below the terrain.

The stone balls have a different composition than the surrounding rock.

The stone balls lie in the same type of rock.

The bulk weight of the stone balls is approximately 25 to 30 tons.

 The stone balls were originally lying on a horizontal surface but were later clogged with material.

Mountain-forming processes lifted the stone balls to their present slope.

You can read about the findings of the stone balls and the unknown facts in WM magazine, which is published monthly.

Source: wmmagazin.cz