In the Chelyabinsk Oblast region of Russia, the Big Stone River is a group of huge boulders that flow through the slopes of the Taganai Mountains in the southern Urals. The rock River is 6 km long and has an average width of 200 m. 700 m wide in some parts
It is believed that during the last ice war about 10,000 years ago, a huge rock shattered. At that time, glaciers covered the tops of the Taganai Mountains at an altitude of 4,800 m. Under the enormous weight of this ice, the top of the mountain shattered into millions of large rocks. As the snow melted, these rocks slowly moved down the hill to form the Big Stone River. The river is named not because it actually flows but because it looks like a river. The rock has remained motionless for thousands of years.
The river contains portions of large quartzite (a very compact and hard rock containing quartz), including aventurine (a form of quartz containing mica or iron compounds) weighing 9–10 tons. The layer of rocks goes down to a depth of up to 6 m.
Another interesting thing is that when you get close to the Big Stone River, you can hear the faint sound of flowing water. The sound is made by small streams flowing under the rocks. The Big Stone River is not the only stone river on earth. Similar stone rivers are found in other parts of the Ural Mountains. Outside of Russia, several stone rivers can be found on Mount Vitosha in Bulgaria.
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