They are strange artifacts. It was said, in publications of dubious credibility, that they had an extraterrestrial origin. But in reality, what are the mysterious Klerksdorp spheres?
They appeared around the second half of the 20th century, in the mines near the town of Ottosdal, in South Africa. They were spheres, polished and with perfectly carved lines. They seemed to have been worked by human hands. But they were inside a pyrophyllite rock formed about 2.8 billion years ago.
Strange explanations
The spheres were taken to the town of Klerksdorp in northern South Africa. Some time later, the theory of their alien origin began to circulate.
“There was a lack of geological studies to explain the true origin of these stones,” says South African geologist Bruce Caircorne. But he explains that there is no mystery. “It’s understandable that they attract attention. But these types of spheres are very common within pyrophyllite formations.”
Not only did news circulate about their unusual origin. It was even said that the spheres rotated by themselves inside the glass case where they had been placed.
The scientist explains that the stones were found in a formation known as the “dominant group.” “The main characteristic is what forms this conglomerate, with several layers of volcanic lava. After a lot of pressure and heat, they turned into pyrophyllite. That’s what coats the spheres,” he said.
Unique peculiarity
“Spheres are known as concretions. Spherical, elliptical or flattened objects composed of different minerals that are in the host rock. And they are quite common, with thousands having been found all over the world,” the geologist notes.
The expert accepts that the mysterious Klerksdorp spheres have a peculiarity. Something that is perhaps not seen in all the similar spheres that have been found in the world. It is the parallel lines that run through them, those that give them a cricket ball appearance. “They are not really lines, but layers,” says the geologist.
“That’s a product of the traces left by the host rock. They built up in layers over a long, long time. They created the effect that you can see now,” he says.
