A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - It is one of America's greatest and yet little known enigmas. There are several reasons why Waffle Rock is considered a mystery.
The geometric patterns are so regular that it is difficult to believe this is a work of nature.
If it not a natural phenomenon, it would mean that it was perhaps created by an ancient civilization with the help of highly sophisticated unknown technology.
The Waffle Rock is located in West Virginia, United States. This rock of debatable origin was discovered by Betty Webster Bishop and her mother during one of their Sunday walks.
According to Ms. Bishop "the rock in question, was at least six feet above the ground, and evidently several feet were embedded in the earth.
It consisted of an uneven waffle type pattern, forming many geometric designs. The raised edges of this design were deep enough for adequate toe-holds for many feet that enjoyed scaling this mini-mountain."
The reason it's called Waffle Rock is simply because it looks like a waffle iron grid.
Part of the Waffle Rock can be seen at the West Virginia Overlook.
Over the years, Waffle Rock's origin and creation has been the subject of many theories.
Speculations range from the impressions of the skin pattern of a giant reptile to a result of highly advanced unknown ancient technology.
Upon examination by geologists from the U. S. Corps of Engineers and other agencies, it was concluded that the rock is a natural geologic formation," Col. Martin W. Walsh Jr. Corps of Engineers Commander (Baltimore MD) wrote in his letter to letter to the Saturday Evening Post in December 1984.
Col. Walsh also described the process by which such patterning could form naturally. He suggested that sand deposited by ancient streams consolidated into sandstone layers with rock above and below being compressed into the large folds that make up the pattern.
A clear view of the regular pattern.
It's believed that this occurred between 250 and 300 million years ago, during the formation of the Appalachian Mountains.
A part of the original Waffle Rock was moved when Jennings Randolph Lake was created by the building of a Dam. The Waffle Rock boulder has been a tourist attraction since 1985. It is viewable seven days a week now at the West Virginia Overlook. So, if are in the area, go and take a look. It's worth a visit.
A smaller piece of the same rock is also on display in the Smithsonian Institute of Natural History located in Washington, DC.
Can nature produce such regular patterns? The common theory is that the Waffle Rock which is primarily composed of soft sandstone fractured and cracked during the formation of the mountains in Mineral County and these cracks were then naturally filled with quartz.
The quartz eventually hardened and formed in the cracks forming the pattern we see today when the softer sandstone rock was eroded quicker than the much harder quartz rock.
Another possibility that cannot be dismissed is that that Waffle Rock is not of natural origin, but rather a man-made creation. If so, what tools or machinery were used to create such amazingly perfect patterns?
The other theory which is truly intriguing is the idea that electromagnetic fields helped form the geometric patterns of the Waffle Rock. Similar to how snowflakes are formed, the geometric patterns of the Waffle Rock could potentially have been affected by an electrical storm at the moment of its creation.
However, these are just speculations. The truth is that scientists are unable to explain how the Waffle Rock was formed.
It is worth mentioning that similar waffle-shaped rocks have been found in Monongahela, and Pennsylvania, although these examples were much smaller in size.
Another possibility that has been put forward by some is that that Waffle Rock is not of natural origin, but rather a man-made creation. If so, what tools or machinery were used to create such amazingly perfect patterns?
The origin of the Waffle Rock remains a mystery. Depending on who you ask you will get different answers about its creation.
The verdict is still out there and it is up to you to judge for yourself.
Written by – A. Sutherland AncientPages.com Staff Writer
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