Photo Credit: Jack Brummet

Rock formations, created by the elements such as heat, wind, rain and erosion, are sometimes so mind boggling, it’s hard to believe it wasn’t an artist that sculpted them, but nature itself, including Skull Rock found at Joshua Tree National Park in California. With the passing of time, two hollowed-out sockets were formed by the elements and the rock began to resemble a skull.

Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland

Photo Credit: CausewayCycleAdventures

Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland is made up of more than 40,000 interlocking volcanic rock pillars, most of which are hexagonal, though some have fewer or more sides. It was created by lava traveling out of cracks in the earth 60 million years ago, which cooled over time into a honeycomb pattern.

Man-Pupu-Nyor, Komi Republic, Russia

Photo Credit: blog.otel.com

The “Seven Giants” as these rock formations are called, sit across a remote, sparsely populated area in Russia known as the Komi Republic.

Goreme Valley, Turkey

Photo Credit: Wikimedia.org

The area around Göreme in central Turkey is dotted with hundreds of these fairy chimney formations.

Arbol de Piedra, Sur Lipez, Bolivia

Photo Credit: Flickr: PedroSZ

This weird rock formation looks like it’s upside down. It’s protected within the Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve in Bolivia.

Karlu Karlu, Northern Territory, Australia

Photo Credit: rses.anu.edu.au

These massive, spherical granite boulders cover the ground in NT Australia, looking as if someone cracked an egg in half before freezing it into solid rock.  In reality, the extreme differences in temperature between day and night cause constant expansion and contraction of the rocks, which can result in full cleavage.