Unexplained tree-top boulders found in forest (URBs)

Brown County Democrat ^ | 10/22/2003 | Judy Hess

[SteveH]

Unexplained tree-top boulders found in forest

By Judy Hess Staff writer
JHess@bcdemocrat.com

Something unnatural is going on in Yellowwood State Forest.

The mystery began a few years ago when a turkey hunter, scouting in a remote area of the 23,000-acre forest, discovered a large boulder in the top of an 80-foot-tall chestnut oak tree. What he saw wedged among its branches was a boulder about 4 feet wide and a foot thick.

The boulder was eventually dubbed Gobbler's Rock after the turkey hunter. It sits high on a south-facing slope overlooking a ravine near Tulip Tree Road in western Brown County and is thought to weigh at least 400 pounds.

After the initial sighting of Gobbler's Rock, hikers have found at least two more giant sandstone boulders sitting in the top limbs of two sycamores. One boulder is nearly 45 feet off the ground and both rocks appear to weigh about 200 pounds. The trees are 100 yards apart growing near the banks of Plum Creek in a seldom-visited part of Yellowwood State Forest, just southwest of Helmsburg.

Known to locals as URBs, or Unexplained Resting Boulders, officials can't explain how the boulders got wedged into the branches in the first place. The huge rocks couldn't grow upward with the trees because the saplings could not have withstood their weight. The boulders must have been placed high in the trees after their trunks were sturdy enough to support them.

Sandstone boulders are a part of the natural Yellowwood setting. They are scattered around the forest floor so the rocks could have originated near the trees.

But officials can't find any proof that this was caused by a natural event or that someone played a joke. A joke that would require heavy-duty moving equipment to get the boulders into the branches.

As theories abound from fraternity pranks, tornadoes, to high winds or floods, the strange phenomenon is now the focus of several UFO Web sites.

In fact, the rock-in-a-tree is highlighted at abduct.com, a UFO-related Web site.

The Web site posts a few comments from a UFO investigator about Gobbler's Rock and asks "did a UFO put a boulder in this tree?"

"If the rock was blown into the tree, why isn't there some sign of damage to the bark? It had to be gently rested in the branches, I would think, but by what?" the investigator asks.

Another UFO Web site ponders such questions like "could an examination of the trees reveal whether they had had damage at a young age? Can anyone think of a mechanism whereby the boulders were lifted as the trees grew?"

Mark Shields, a Yellowwood employee, says "Just about every theory has been shot down."

"If I had to guess, maybe a tornado," Mr. Shields said.

He stated it's unlikely that blasting at some nearby site would have blown the rock into its perch. The most logical answer, he said, is that a tornado picked the rock up and dropped it in the branches. Although he admits that theory's not very likely because of the way the boulder sits in the tree.

"The rocks sits right in the crown of the tree," Mr. Shields said.

If you'd like to try finding the huge boulders, you'll need a compass. The trees are a considerable distance from the nearest roadway.

Directions to

Gobbler's Rock:

To find Gobbler's Rock from the Yellowwood State Forest office, head north on Yellowwood Lake Road, then turn west on Lanam Ridge Road. From Lanam Ridge Road, turn left onto Indiana 45, and then quickly turn south on Tulip Tree Road. Follow this gravel road about two miles, and park in a small pull-off near the gate.

Using a compass, continue walking south about a half-mile, and look for a cleared, grassy area on the left. Look for an old logging path that leads east from the cleared area, and follow it east and south. Gobbler÷Õ Rock is high on a south-facing slope overlooking a ravine. (GPS coordinates: N39 12.204, W86 21.955)

Directions to

the sycamore tree rocks:

Travel north on Yellowwood Lake Road about three miles from the Yellowwood State Forest office. Turn east on Lanam Ridge Road. Follow the road about three miles, and turn west on Dollsberry Lane, about a mile south of Helmsburg. Follow the gravel road until it ends. Park in a small parking area on the south side of the roadway.

From this point, a compass is required because there is no marked trail or path, and underbrush in some areas is thick. Follow the old roadway west, and then southwest. South of the pond, which is on private property, travel southwest to Plum Creek, following the creek as it meanders west. The two sycamores holding the rocks are on the north creek bank, about a third of a mile west-southwest from the parking area. The trees are about 100 yards apart, but not visible from each other. (GPS coordinates: N39 14.986, W86 18.492, N39 14.984, W8618.560)

[Jeff Chandler]

He claims to have spotted "bubbles" in the stones, and imprints of palm or other vegetation on the surface, which would indicate a poured product. Also, the stones are worn from the top down, instead of along the side as are natural stones.

He claims this for only the ancient pyramids, which are built of the gigantic stones with copper tools. The later ones are built with small (soft)sandstone blocks with bronze tools.

I've never been there, but I'd rather believe in a practical theory than a fantastic one.

[Graybeard58]

"That's assuming a rope to be heavy-duty-moving-equipment".

"Don't forget the heavy-duty-moving-equipment pulley"....


...and a couple of highly trained technicians (Two beer soaked college students)

[Graybeard58]

Bush is responsible for this and it most adversly affects women, children and minorities.

[FixitGuy]

I agree that the practical theory is easier to accept. I've often wondered that "natural" limestone has a bunch of crap in it too. (Sea shells, quartz and other stuff.) Maybe it's natures concrete before we recycle it into the stuff you're using.

I'm feeling the need for sleep too.

Really got up to pee. G'nite jeff.

[tortoise]

Modern concrete is not even up to the standards of ancient Rome's concrete, let alone ancient Egytp's.

Errmm... How much do you know about modern concrete? Modern concrete can be vastly superior to anything the ancients concocted, even by accident. We know more about that class of materials than any man should waste a lifetime on. The composition of Roman and Egyptian concrete is not a mystery and easily characterized. If I am not mistaken, archaeologists analyze and characterize concrete to determine its source (mostly by tracking the impurities and aggregate characteristics).

Concrete is un-special engineering, both the bog standard types and the exotic types. And the ancient concretes were not even exotic. The ancients were remarkably adept with basic concrete though considering their lack of significant materials science. Quite good for the times, but nothing special in modern times.

[Jeff Chandler]

According to Dr. Davidowitz, the "concrete" the Egyptians created was actually a geopolymer. If he is right, then this "concrete" has kept the ancient pyramids intact for more than 4000 years.

We may have technology surpassing that, but how long have we had it, and where are we utilizing it?

[Jeff Chandler]

Concrete is un-special engineering

As I understand it, the science of modern concrete is barely 200 years old.

[Jeff Head]

It is clearly a snipe perch.

[SteveH]

Ya certainly got the goods.<;^)

I do admit that I sometimes scare myself with how easily I can produce this drivel on demand. But no, I don't compete in the pro leagues... they are sooo much better...

;-)

[tortoise]

According to Dr. Davidowitz, the "concrete" the Egyptians created was actually a geopolymer. If he is right, then this "concrete" has kept the ancient pyramids intact for more than 4000 years. We may have technology surpassing that, but how long have we had it, and where are we utilizing it?

The problem with this, at least insofar as modern materials science is concerned, is that geopolymers from common earth minerals (typically silica-alumina structures) require an autoclave at a minimum. These materials are formed naturally (the earth can provide the pressures and temperatures necessary), but they aren't something you can just slap together with bronze age technology. Alumina/silica polymers don't form under normal bronze age conditions. And if they had the technology to do this, they would have had a great many other things at their disposal that would put the premise in doubt.

We don't utilize geopolymers for structural purposes because it is entirely unnecessary. Normal reinforced/stressed concretes have all the strength and durability that anyone needs for most structural engineering purposes. Add to this that geopolymers are expensive to produce (due to the necessity of putting each piece in an autoclave), and you end up with no sane justification for using them in large structural projects. And this ignores that you can't use them for things that have to be cast "in place" for all intents and purposes.

We actually have materials that are better than geopolymers, but they are primarily used in places where it makes financial sense. For structural engineering purposes, there is no purpose in using them in place of steel reinforced concretes. It is quite possible to make basic concrete last damn near forever by tweaking the composition if necessary, though there rarely IS a necessity for this.

There are bulk stones in nature that can survive tens of millions of years of environmental exposure without a scratch. You can find small deposits of these unusual deposits which are billions of years old (usually ceramics in a metal matrix). Nobody quarries these because they will rapidly destroy even diamond edged cutting tools and are essentially uncuttable, making them economically unviable. But finding natural stone that will last a mere million years with only moderate decay is a trivial feat. Cutting up natural alumina/silica geopolymers is not terribly difficult, and makes for an Occam compliant explanation.

[G.Mason]

A new mystery to challenge and bewilder "crop circle" devotees.

I'm sure these rocks will start showing up in trees all over the world, and in short order.

It's the little green men don'tcha know?

[pt17]

That's assuming a rope to be heavy-duty-moving-equipment.

Yup. With some really good rope and pulleys, getting a boulder into the fork of a tree isn't much of a deal; however, the mystery of the thing's more compelling than simple physics.

[E.G.C.]

BTTT!!!!!!!

[Thinkin' Gal]

The mystery began a few years ago when a turkey hunter, scouting in a remote area of the 23,000-acre forest, discovered a large boulder in the top of an 80-foot-tall chestnut oak tree. What he saw wedged among its branches was a boulder about 4 feet wide and a foot thick.

The boulder was eventually dubbed Gobbler's Rock after the turkey hunter. It sits high on a south-facing slope overlooking a ravine near Tulip Tree Road in western Brown County and is thought to weigh at least 400 pounds.

After the initial sighting of Gobbler's Rock, hikers have found at least two more giant sandstone boulders sitting in the top limbs of two sycamores. One boulder is nearly 45 feet off the ground and both rocks appear to weigh about 200 pounds.

Yellowwood looks like a good place to avoid like the plague.

Revelation 16:21 And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

5464 chalaza {khal'-ad-zah}
probably from 5465;; n f
AV - hail 4; 4

1) hail

>>>

5465 chalao {khal-ah'-o}
from the base of 5490;; v
AV - let down 6, strike 1; 7

1) to loosen, slacken, relax
2) to let down from a higher place to a lower

***

5006 talantiaios {tal-an-tee-ah'-yos}
from 5007;; adj
AV - weight of a talent 1; 1

1) a weight or worth of a talent
1a) a talent of silver weighed about 100 pounds (45 kg)
1b) a talent of gold, 200 pounds (91 kg)

[leadpenny]

A prank.

It is recent. The supporting limbs would show signs of being deformed, especially where the rock meets the bark, if it had been placed there any longer ago than three to five years.

If heavy ground equipment had been used, evidence would still be visible.

Answer: A well planned and coordinated helicopter sling-load operation.

[leadpenny]

I meant to say, "A well planned and executed . . . "

[Freebird Forever]

Has anyone been using explosives in the area?

Blasting a hole for a pond?

I've seen that done. Rocks can be thrown pretty high in the air.

[blam]

This tree looks like many old trees around my place. In 1979 hurricane Fredric broke all the tops out of the trees, some in half. When the trees re-grew, they formed a cradle like in this tree...I don't have any boulders in my trees though.

[blam]

This tree looks like many old trees around my place. In 1979 hurricane Fredric broke all the tops out of the trees, some in half. When the trees re-grew, they formed a cradle like in this tree...I don't have any boulders in my trees though.

[blam]

This tree looks like many old trees around my place. In 1979 hurricane Fredric broke all the tops out of the trees, some in half. When the trees re-grew, they formed a cradle like in this tree...I don't have any boulders in my trees though.