Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve, Australia  Jan 7, 2024

These aren"t your ordinary rocks! One of the oldest known religious locations, the Devils Marbles, holds significant value for Aboriginal Australians as an ancient sacred site. Today, the Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve—also called Karlu Karlu—in the Northern Territory of Australia preserves the collection of giant, round, gravity-defying boulders. These rocks are composed of granite, and their peculiar shape is the result of millions of years of weathering and erosion. Did you know that the Earth"s oldest rock is truly out of this world? Lunar sample 14321, or "Big Bertha," has been dated to be approximately 4.46 billion years old—just a smidge younger than the Earth itself—and was recovered from the moon during the Apollo 14 mission. Scientists believe that the rock was a meteorite from Earth that hit the moon, and then we brought it all the way back, millions of years later. Whether you"re a geology nerd or just a casual nature lover, embrace the minerals around you and rock on!

© Yva Momatiuk and John Eastcott/Minden Pictures

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