The largest stone in the world. The new largest processed stone in the world. Moving Stones of Death Valley

If you go to the Baalbek complex, don't forget to look at the largest building stone in the world.
This place is called "South Stone". I really wanted to get here and I did it, which is why I feel a sense of joy and pride :) On the right, on an impressive man-made stone, this is me with the flag of Lebanon.

The smaller brothers of this stone are located in the Baalbek complex itself. Their photos are in the next post.

In Alan F. Alford's book "GODS OF THE NEW MILLENNIUM" I found information about the South Stone. I liked it, so I quote part of the text below.

The vast scale of Trilithon can be judged by the size of a somewhat larger block, known as the "South Stone" - it lies nearby in a quarry, a ten minute walk in a south-westerly direction. This stone block measures 69 feet (23 m) long, 16 feet (5.3 m) wide and 13 feet 10 inches (4.55 m) high. It weighs approximately 1,000 tons - the same as three Boeing 747s.

How were the 800-ton Trilithon stones transported from the quarry to the construction site? The distance is not so great - no more than a third of a mile (about 500 m). And the height difference between the two points is not too big. And yet, given the size and weight of these stones, and the fact that the road from the quarry to the temple is still not entirely smooth, transportation using conventional vehicles seems impossible. And further, an even greater mystery is how the stones of Trilithon were then raised more than 20 feet (almost 7 m) and installed on the wall with such accuracy, without any lime mortar.

Some experts try to convince us that it was the Romans who built such a vast foundation of stone at Baalbek as the foundation for their temples. But the fact is that no Roman emperor ever claimed to have accomplished such a fantastic deed, and besides, as one specialist noted, there is too great a difference between the scale of Roman temples and the foundation on which they stand. Among other things, we have no evidence that the Romans possessed the technology with which they could transport boulders weighing 800 tons. And what's more, there is no evidence to prove that any civilization known to us possessed the technique with which it would be possible to lift such colossal stones as we see at the base of Baalbek!

Some argue that stones as heavy as the 800-ton monolith blocks of Baalbek cannot be lifted with modern cranes. This is not entirely true. I raised the issue of Baalbeck stones with Baldwins Industrial Services, one of Britain's leading crane rental companies. I asked them how they could transport the thousand-ton South Stone and hoist it to the same height as the Trilithon.

Bob McGrain, technical director of Baldwins, confirmed that there are some types of mobile cranes that can lift a 1,000-ton stone and place it on 20-foot (7 m) high masonry. Baldwins has Gottwald AK 912 slewing cranes with a lifting capacity of 1200 tons, but other companies have cranes capable of lifting a load of 2000 tons. Unfortunately, these cranes cannot move with such a heavy load. How could we transport the South Stone to the construction site? The Baldwins engineers came up with two options: the first was to use a 1,000-ton crane on tracks. The disadvantage of this method is that it requires preliminary labor-intensive earthworks in order to build a solid, level road for the movement of the crane.

Another option is to use several modular hydraulic trailers instead of a crane, which can be combined into a platform for transporting heavy loads. These trailers raise and lower the load using hydraulic cylinders built into their suspension. To lift a stone in a quarry, you need to drive a trailer into a hole cut in the bottom of a stone block. The stone can be permanently installed on the wall, at a height of 20 feet, using an earth mound.

But with regard to the methods offered by the Baldwins company, there is, of course, one small snag - When Baalbek is believed to have been built, of course, no one could even think of these technical methods of the 20th century!

Well, what happens if we nevertheless return to the hypothesis about methods without applying modern technology? It is usually suggested that megalithic boulders were moved using wooden rollers. But modern experiments have shown that such rollers collapse even under a weight of much less than 800 tons. And even if it were possible to use this method, then, according to the calculations, to move the South Stone, a joint reinforcement of 40 thousand people would be required. It remains completely unproven that 800-ton blocks of stone could be moved in such a primitive way.

The other main weak point of the traditional interpretation is the question - why did the builders need to bother with such weights, if it was much easier to break a giant monolith into several smaller blocks. In the opinion of my friends who are civil engineers, the use of such huge stone blocks in Trilithon is a very dangerous business, since any vertical crack in the stone could lead to a serious weakening of the entire structure. Conversely, the same defect in smaller blocks would have no effect on the strength of the entire structure.

Therefore, there is no point at all in trying to imagine how tens of thousands of people are trying to move and lift 800-ton blocks. How, then, can we get out of the impasse and what could be assumed about the intentions of the builders of Baalbek?

On the one hand, they seemed to be quite sure that there were no defects in their building material. Therefore, they preferred to use large blocks for purely structural reasons, believing that in this way a stronger foundation would be provided that could withstand enormous vertical loads. This is a very interesting idea. On the other hand, it is possible that the builders were simply in a hurry and it was more profitable for them to hew and deliver one large stone to the place than two small ones. In this case, one must, of course, assume that they possessed high-level construction techniques.

Although the first of the proposed versions seems more tempting, from my point of view, it is the second that provides a more plausible explanation. I have the impression, shared by others, that Baalbek's platform is not complete. So, for example, Trilithon rises above the level of other rows of masonry and does not form a single whole with the platform. There is an impression that this is part of an unfinished defensive wall. This hypothesis is confirmed by the fact that the South Stone remained on one side not separated from the rocky foundation of the quarry. All this is clear evidence that construction was suddenly interrupted. Rumguru is really more profitable than 💰💰 Booking.

👁 Do you know? 🐒 this is the evolution of city tours. VIP guide - a city dweller, will show the most unusual places and tell urban legends, I tried it, it's fire 🚀! Prices from 600 rubles. - will definitely please 🤑

👁 The best search engine in Runet - Yandex ❤ started selling air tickets! 🤷

Huge stones have been revered by people since ancient times. In pre-Christian times, boulders were attributed miraculous properties they were worshiped and prayed to. It was believed that sacred stones bring good luck. With the adoption of Christianity, the pagan rite was replaced by the Orthodox. But the stones remained. Many of them began to be revered on a par with holy sources in the Orthodox world. Some are still shrouded in mystery. And there are quite unusual "stones".

Horse-stone

A huge boulder and a small chapel on it appear before the traveler unexpectedly and immediately amaze the imagination with their ancient power. Once upon a time, the Horse-Stone was one of the main pagan sanctuaries of the Karelians. Before him, according to legend, a horse was sacrificed. A huge block really looks like a horse's head. At the end of the 14th century, Saint Arseny Konevsky prayed before a stone. The life of the saint tells how the spirits came out of the stone, turning into black ravens. Arseniy consecrated the stone, and since then the Horse-stone has been a place of veneration for Orthodox Christians.

Boris stone

In the 12th century, boats sailing to Polotsk could meet huge stones on their way, towering alone above the waters of the Western Dvina. Swimming closer, the words of a prayer and a carved cross were clearly read: "Lord, help your servant Boris." Why Polotsk Prince Boris Vseslavovich installed such stones is still a mystery. One of them can now be seen in Polotsk, in front of the entrance to the Hagia Sophia.

blue stone

The blue stone is actually gray, but changes color after rain. It really acquires a characteristic blue. At first, the Finno-Ugric peoples worshiped him, then the pagan Slavs. The stone gradually goes underground. But popular rumor ascribes to him wonderful properties to move. Faith in the miraculous properties of the stone could not be eradicated either by centuries or by the Orthodox faith.

Stone of St. Paul of Obnorsk

In the distant Vologda region, among dense forests in the picturesque valley of the Nurma and Obnora rivers, the monastery of St. Paul of Obnorsky lurks. A disciple of Sergius of Radonezh founded a monastery in 1414 in these remote places. Not far from his cell was a flat boulder. The Monk Paul spent long days on it in prayer, kneeling. According to legend, during such prayerful standing on a stone, forest animals came to St. Paul. Standing on him, you can touch the mystery of the prayer feat.

Stone on Mount Maura

Mount Maura is one of the most beautiful places Vologda region. At its top is a stone. From a stone located on this mountain, according to his life, the Monk Kirill saw the place indicated by the Mother of God for the foundation of the monastery. On the stone there was an imprint very similar to the trace of a bare human foot. The people attribute this trace to St. Cyril. A visible image of the holiness of the place? Another secret remains silent.

Babi stone

This stone does not have such a long history. But it has already acquired legends that are so quickly spread by popular rumor. And Blok wrote poems on it, and it helps in women's illnesses - that's why Babiy. And in the summer it acts as a natural platform for poets who decide to surprise everyone with their verses. Whether there is a secret in it or not, everyone decides for himself.

Spas-stone

Spas-Stone is not just a huge boulder. This is a whole monastery. A small island (only 120 by 70 meters) on Lake Kubenskoye that can be bypassed in a minute. Monks settled on the island in the 13th century. They surrounded it on all sides with piles of wild stone so that the shores would not be washed away. And so, after each spring ice drift on the lake, many large boulders are thrown onto the island. The lonely bell tower seems to be floating in the air between heaven and earth. Here is the time to think about the true firmness of the world that is hidden in the soul.

The world's largest rock boulder is located in the Mojave Desert, California, USA. Outwardly, it looks more like a giant rock, about the height of a seven-story building, and the area on which it is located is 558 square meters. The history of this giant began back in 1930, when pilot George Vann, along with an old friend, German miner Frank Kritzen, acquired mines in the Mojave Desert. Frank dug a cave of about 400 square meters right under this stone, and installed many antennas on the mountain.

In 1942, during the war, the US authorities suspected Frank of espionage and planned to expel him from this territory. He, of course, was not going to go anywhere and the police started shooting, a canister of gasoline was accidentally hit and Frank died in a terrible fire, unable to get out of the cave. Then it turned out that Frank was not a spy at all, he was just an eccentric who wanted to live the way he liked, that is, under a rock.

The room where Frank died for a long time was closed to strangers and guarded by the police. In addition to dwelling under a rock, Frank built an airport nearby. George Vann, after the death of a close friend, moved with his family to the valley next to the stone and resumed flying.

The valley where the giant stone is located is considered mysterious and mystical. Geniuses of the 20th century visited here: Howard Hughes and the most mysterious scientist Nikola Tesla. Later, another incredible incident happened to this giant. The Indians who lived in this area considered the stone to be the heart of Mother Earth. Hopi shamans in 1920 predicted that a new time would come when this giant stone would crack. And the prediction turned out to be true - in 2000, a huge piece fell off the stone, on which traces of soot and soot can still be seen from the time when Frank Kritzen's underground dwelling burned down.

Hello dear friends. Do you know that in addition to small stones that we find in jewelry products, there are truly huge adamants, some of which may only be cut in the future. What is the largest diamond in the world?

It should be noted that the size, the size of the stone does not always exactly correspond to its value and value. A smaller stone can be significantly more expensive than a more impressive fellow. However, the vastness of such minerals is nevertheless striking.

The largest diamonds in the world

We, the LoveStones team, will consider the largest and most majestic stones, they will be located from the smallest to the largest. For each stone, you will be able to find its weight in carats before and/or after the cutting process.

13. Sancy

• 101.4 g - after cutting 55.23 ct (11.046 g)

This mineral is yellow, but pale in color, has a pear-shaped shape, acquired as a result of masters poring over it.

Presumably the diamond was found in the 11th century AD in India. Since the discovery belongs to the merchant, under further circumstances it was sold for an exorbitant price for those times (80 gold coins, several camels and elephants). In the future, the stone was kept for a long time and passed down from generation to generation by Indian rulers, until one fine moment it was stolen.

Only at the end of the 16th century, Sancy was appropriated by a new titled owner, in whose honor it has its name - the future first minister of France, Nicolas de Sancy. In the future, the stone managed to visit England, India, but in the end the last owner decided that not only he, but also others should admire the adamant. As a result of this decision, from 1978 to the present, the diamond has been kept in the great Louvre, in the Apollo Gallery.

12. Wins

• Before cutting 76 carats

The mineral was mined in Yakutia quite recently, just a couple of years ago. Initially, it is transparent with a slight yellowish tinge. So far, he has been priced at $500,000.

11. Regent

• 400 carats - 140.64 carats

transparent diamond, square shape. It was found back in 1701 and taken out by the English businessman Pitt (the stone is even sometimes named after him) and sold to the regent of Orleans, Philip II. The stone was related to some historical events, but after all the vicissitudes, it ended up in the Louvre, where it remains to this day.

10. Golden Jubilee

• 755.5 carats (151.1 g) - 545.67 carats (109.1 g)

The color of the mineral is brownish-yellow, a copy of the South African Jagersfontein was found back in the last quarter of the 20th century by the De Beers company, which is very popular in the jewelry market.

It took a very long time to cut the stone, the painstaking process from start to finish took about two years. The author of this creation with the shape of a rose was Gaby Tolkowski. Only in 1990 was the world able to see the stone in its present form.

At the moment, adamant belongs to the Thai ruler and rests in the royal palace. The name of the stunning stone was given in honor of the anniversary year of the ruler's reign. The value of the stone is estimated from 4 to 12 million dollars.

9. River Woye (Victory)

• 770 ct (154 g) - the largest of the particles 31.35 ct

The names of the stone are not accidental. The first of them indicates the place where it was found. And it happened in January last year the largest war of the 20th century near the Woye River in the east of the Republic of Sierra Leone, in West Africa. The second name symbolizes the victory over fascist dominance and the end of World War II.

When found, the stone had the shape of a rhombus, but what its parts look like now is unknown, since their owners prefer not to advertise appearance diamonds into which the Woye River was divided.

8 Millennium Star

• 777 ct (155.4 g) - 203.04 ct (40.6 g)

Diamond has no color, which means it is as pure as possible from impurities. Found a copy in 1990 in the former Zaire. Modern form Stars - pear-shaped, has the classic 54 facets. To process a diamond of this size, it took 3 years of hard work by specialists different countries. Belgium, South Africa, the USA - all these countries have made efforts to cut.

At the moment, the Millennium Star is included in the unique collection of jewelry by De Beers. The stone has not yet been evaluated, but in the first year of the third millennium, a cunning attempt was made to steal it along with the Millennium collection. At that time, the stone was recently cut.

7. "Great Mogul"

• 787 carats (157.4 g) - 280 carats

In the middle of the seventeenth century, the majestic stone was seized in India, in Golconda. In addition to its impressive size, the stone has another rare property - blue color.

The large diamond was cut by the talented jeweler Borgis Hortensio from "floating" Venice. Unfortunately, an impressive part of the stone was lost without a trace as a result of this process, only nothing remained - 280 ct. However, a century later, the stone was lost forever and has not been found to this day.

6. "Incomparable"

• 890 carats (178 g) - 407.48 carats

The name of a large specimen is not given by chance, because with such a huge weight it has a very unusual triangular shape for a diamond of this level, which even began to be called a triolet. Was found in the Congo, by a girl playing along the idle mines. As usually happens in such stories, the girl did not get the stone, but in 1988 it was bought for 12 million dollars and ended up in Geneva. Then they even tried to bargain with the stone in the well-known Ebay, but the buyers for the fabulous 15 million, which is not surprising, were never found.

In 2013, the stone was set in a rose gold necklace, which was presented by Mouawad. In addition to the “Incomparable”, there are 91 more adamants in the decoration.

5. Star of Sierra Leone

• 968.9 ct (193.78 g) - the largest part of 53.96 ct

The size of this mineral is not the main thing, in addition to this, the Star has an exorbitant purity, which is not so common in diamonds. They found a copy in 1972, again near Sefadu, but in a different mine. Unfortunately, the crystal had a structural defect. Because of this unfortunate fact, it had to be divided into almost two dozen parts. However, 13 out of 17 copies received received the status of perfect, flawless.

The largest specimen received was named the Star of Sierra Leone.

4. Excelsior

• 995.20 carats (199.04 g) - the largest element is 70 carats

Like so many participants in this "hit parade", Excelsior was seen in the 20th century in Africa, in 1982. Adamant had a charming bluish tint, very rare, but due to the defects found, it also could not be preserved in its full-fledged, original form. As a result, 21 diamonds were born, the most majestic of which was named Excelsior I.

3. Botswana diamond

• 1111 ct (222 g) - not yet cut

For the current and the past century, this stone is the largest. It was mined a couple of years ago in Karowa on the border of the Karoo and Kalahari deserts. So far, it is only roughly estimated, but they have already managed to note the incredible purity and purity of white diamond. In the future, we are waiting for a diamond worthy of such a treasure.

In 2016, the mineral was placed in New York at the auction, called it "Our Light".

2. Cullinan

• 3106 ct (621.35 g) - the largest part 530, 2 ct

It was noted by Cullinan in 1905, and named after the owner of the mine. The Transvaal government (namely, the mine was located there) decided to transfer the stone to the British leader Edward the Seventh.

The mineral, in addition to such an amazing size, was extremely transparent and did not contain impurities, which often happens in other specimens. The best cutter, Asher Joseph, worked with Cullinan in his time. More than a hundred copies of the mineral came out from under his hand, into which the diamond was split. Almost a hundred tiny, 7 medium and two very large diamonds came from the "older" specimen.

The largest parts of the adamant were christened "Cullinan I" and "Culinnan II" respectively. The first of them (it was also called the "Big Star of Africa") has about 74 faces in 530 carats. An element was placed on the scepter of the royal family in the UK, the value of the mineral is estimated at approximately $ 400 million.

The second part or the "Small Star of Africa" ​​has a mass of 317.4 carats and is decorated in an emerald figure, rare for this mineral.

1. Sergio

• 3167 carats (633.4 g) - not yet cut

A truly huge, extraordinary specimen, but not a pure mineral, but the so-called carbonado. It has a different structure in a certain sense, it does not suffer from the presence of transparency and has a distinctive property - black color. Noticed Sergio in Brazil. Despite the fact that the mineral was found at the end of the 19th century, it was not cut, like many representatives of this type of diamond.

Team LyubiKamni

Today I will show the Uluru rock, recognized as one of the wonders of the world. This is the largest rock in the world, which is a pure monolith, that is, a solid stone measuring two by three kilometers. The height of the stone is about 350 meters, but according to the latest data, this is only the tip of a stone iceberg and most of Uluru is underground.

The mountain is far from Sydney, almost in the center of the continent. To fly to it decently - three and a half hours. And if in Sydney it was more or less comfortable with the weather, then Uluru met with hellish heat at forty degrees. The heat was not the only problem: in addition to the scorching sun, millions of flies live in the Uluru region. I have never seen such a number of insects per square meter anywhere, even in a pigsty. Vile insects do not seem to bite, but constantly strive to get into the nose and ears. Brrr...

Another famous mountain is known for its feature of changing color throughout the day, depending on the weather and time of day. The range of changes is very wide: from brown to fiery red, from lilac to blue, from yellow to lilac. Unfortunately, it is impossible to catch all the shades of the rock in one day. For example, Uluru acquires a lilac-blue range during rain, which has not been here for more than a year.

Like all ancient places of this kind, this mountain is sacred to the local peoples and it is considered sacrilege to climb it. Aborigines revere the stone as a deity, which, however, did not prevent them from renting the shrine to the Australian authorities. For access to Uluru, the natives receive annually $75,000, not counting 25% of the cost of each ticket...

While flying, I took a few shots of Australia from the plane. Below us is a dried-up salt lake:

Riverbed:

We fly to Uluru. Those with advanced abstract thinking claim that the top of the stone looks like a sleeping elephant. Well, OK:

Kata Tjuta is located 40 km from Uluru, we will return to it separately:

Ayers Rock Airport. Let's land:

Not far from the airport there is a resort where tourists and vacationers stay:

As I said before, hordes of flies live in the Uluru area. On average, a tourist needs 10 minutes to make a decision to buy a special protective net:

Flies terribly bother with their stomping on the head and face. Many even take pictures without removing protection:

The guides pretend that they are hardened guys, accustomed to flies, but in fact they are actively smearing themselves protective creams. By the way, we were not lucky with the guide - the girl worked for the first time, she didn’t tell very interesting things, and she was simply lost in some questions:

You can’t just fly to the center of Australia, put on a net and not take a selfie:

Let's get back to Uluru. There are only a few legal shooting points in the vicinity, so most of the photos of Uluru do not shine with original angles:

All tourist routes are marked and marked, you can walk and drive only on special roads:

Cave drawings:

The images are on the walls of the caves. The black stripe is a trace of flowing water during few and rare precipitation:

Some places are forbidden to shoot according to the beliefs of local natives.

Caves can hardly be called caves in the strict sense of the word. It's more like a stone canopy. It is very convenient to sit in the shade during the heat of the day:

The places where water flows are strictly limited by the shape of the rock. Over time, natural reservoirs with water are formed under the drains, where local animals come to drink:

During the day, animals do not come here, but at night they go in large numbers. Local scientists set up camera traps (on the barrier) to study the Australian fauna. The black stripes on the stone show that the water level has dropped noticeably:

Everyone is saved from flies as best he can:

Tourist bridges over impassable places. Painted red to match Uluru:

During the tour several times moved from one part of Uluru to another. In general, it was possible to walk around the mountain on foot, but it is extremely tiring in such heat:

Flies with special pleasure flock to green color, something he attracts them:

Another cave:

A curious moment: if you look closely, you can see that the lower part of the wall is without drawings and it is noticeable that they are, as it were, erased. Previously, guides, showing cave paintings to tourists, doused the wall with water so that the images appeared more clearly. Ten years later, water destroyed most of the images and the practice was cancelled.