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Note: This article is about naturally occurring rock formations. For human-created art using rocks, see Rock balancing.

Balanced Rock at Garden of the Gods park in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Balancing rock, also called balanced rock, is a generic term for a naturally occurring geological formation featuring a large rock or boulder, sometimes of substantial size, resting on other rocks, bedrock or on glacial till. Some formations known by this name only appear to be balancing but are in fact firmly connected to a base rock by a pedestal or stem. There is no single scientific definition of the term, and it has been applied to a variety of rock features that fall into one of four general categories:

• A glacial erratic is a boulder that was transported and deposited by glaciers to a resting place on bedrock or on other boulders. It usually has a different lithology than the rock that it rests upon. Some erractics have come to be known as rocking stones, also known as logan rocks, logan stones or logans, because they are so finely balanced that the application of just a small force may cause them to rock or sway. A good example of a balancing stone is the Logan Rock in Cornwell, England, United Kingdom.
• A perched block, also known as a perched boulder or perched rock, is a large, detached rock fragment that was transported and deposited by a glacier to a resting place on glacial till , often on the side of a hill or slope. Some perched blocks were not produced by glacial action but were the aftermath of a rock fall, landslide or avalanche.
• An erosional remnant is a persisting rock formation that remains after extensive wind, water and/or chemical erosion. To the untrained eye it may appear to be visually like a glacial erratic, but instead of being transported and deposited it was carved from the local bedrock. Many good examples of erosional remnants are seen in the Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve in the Northern Territory of Australia.
• A pedestal rock, also known as a rock pedestal or mushroom rock, is not a true balancing rock but is a single continuous rock form with a very small base leading up to a much larger crown. Some of these formations are called balancing rocks because of their appearance. The undercut base was attributed for many years to simple wind abrasion but is now believed to result from a combination of wind and enhanced chemical weathering at the base where moisture would be retained longest. Some pedestal rocks sitting on taller spire formations are known as hoodoos.

Famous balancing rocks

Africa

Zimbabwe

• The Balancing Rocks are a geological formation found in the township of Epworth, southeast of Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe. It is a formation of rocks perfectly balanced without other supports.

Mother and Child balancing rocks, Matobo National Park, Zimbabwe.

• The Mother and Child balancing rocks are a well-known feature in Matobo National Park.

Asia and Australia

Australia

• The Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve is a vast field of erosional remnants.

Europe

• England

The Brimham Rocks are a group of outstanding pedestal rock formations in North Yorkshire.

North America

Canada

• British Columbia

United States

• Arizona

Several pedestals rocks are found within the boundaries of the Chiricahua National Monument.

• California

A large balancing rock may be easily seen at D.L. Bliss State Park on the west shore of Lake Tahoe.

• Utah

One of the most visited formations in the United States is the Balanced Rock in Arches National Park.

References

External links

• Waymarking: Nature's Balanced Rocks