Megoňky

The first documented mention of the stone ‘balls’ at Megoňky dates from 1995. The Megoňky quarry lies on the Czech-Slovak border in the Turzovka uplands. Together with nearby Klokočov, Megoňky represents the largest example in Europe of these unusual rock formations.

The perfectly spherical rocks can be seen in the walls of the quarry and scattered throughout the surrounding area. There were originally around 30 balls with diameters varying between 25 cm and 3 metres, but many have been removed and are now used as garden ornaments. The largest ball, 3 m in diameter, is still at the quarry. It is formed of coarse-grained conglomerate with stone grains of 2 to 4 cm and a finer-grained surface, and is split into two almost perfectly equal halves. During quarrying, balls of up to 5 m in diameter were uncovered and dynamited. According to some geologists, the balls could have been formed by “some strains and rotations in the rock”, however others claim that they are just “spherical boulders”, as they are described on hiking maps of the Beskydy range. To the west of the balls, another similar formation has recently been discovered. It has a smooth surface and the visible part is around 25 cm high, with an estimated total diameter of 85 cm. There are also other visible formations in the rock walls, including a hollow ‘socket’ which used to contain a ball, high up in the north wall with a diameter of around 5 m. The entire Kysuce region offers plenty of interesting geological features, especially due to the occurrence of conglomerates of various exotic materials, none of which are found elsewhere in the surrounding area. Above the quarry, near to the border, a stone ball with a diameter of 120 cm is lodged in a rock face, with other spherical formations nearby. The upper half of the ball has been damaged by water and ice action, but the sheltered, smooth-surfaced lower part remains in good condition.