Mushroom Stones of the Altai

In the Altai region of Russia, on the right bank of the river Chulyshman, is an area known as ”Akkurum” or ‘white rockslide’ unusual, mushroom-like rock formations sprout.

The mushrooms are formed by weathering and water erosion of rock layers of varying hardness, with the softer rock around the base eroding away more quickly.Overlooking the Chulyshman valley, these odd rock structures attract many tourists every year, but according to experts, the rock with continue to erode and eventually disappear.

Already, some of the “hats” of the rocks have fallen off during an earthquake, and as the weathering continues, many more will follow and may be gone within centuries, a blink of an eye in geological timescales.