# These are d\*mned curious--Klerksdorp Spheres. With article link **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 23, 2024, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/these-are-d-mned-curious-klerksdorp-spheres-with-article-link/997989 "2024-02-23T17:34:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/these-are-d-mned-curious-klerksdorp-spheres-with-article-link/997989/1 "2024-02-23T17:34:18Z")
These a truly bizarre …specimens? Artifacts? Well, spherical objects found embedded in rock, millions of years old. [ARTICLE LINK WITH PHOTOS.](https://www.iflscience.com/the-strange-klerksdorp-spheres-found-in-3-billion-year-old-rock-72987) ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/these-are-d-mned-curious-klerksdorp-spheres-with-article-link/997989/2 "2024-02-23T18:06:30Z")
Strange that they’re called “spheres” when the photo in the article shows a decidedly nonspherical shape. The article says they are concretions created by precipitation of minerals dissolved in water. I think it’s the same process that made the “[blueberries](https://mars.nasa.gov/resources/6944/martian-blueberries/)” found on Mars by the Opportunity rover. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/these-are-d-mned-curious-klerksdorp-spheres-with-article-link/997989/3 "2024-02-23T18:25:03Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > Strange that they’re called “spheres” when the photo in the article shows a decidedly nonspherical shape. As the article notes, they are “spherical, elliptical, or oblate objects”. So even though they are nicknamed “spheres”, only some of them are. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/these-are-d-mned-curious-klerksdorp-spheres-with-article-link/997989/4 "2024-02-23T18:48:42Z")
The wikipedia page has a section critiquing the claims made about the “spheres”: > **[Klerksdorp sphere | Criticism of "out of place" claims](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klerksdorp_sphere#Criticism_of_%22out_of_place%22_claims)** > > Various claims have been made that these objects are either "perfectly round" or perfect spheres. These claims are now known to be incorrect as directly observed by Heinrich. The specimens vary widely in shape, from noticeably flattened spheres to distinct disks. As illustrated by Heinrich, some of the Klerksdorp spheres are interlocked with each other, like a mass of soap bubbles. The observations and figure refute claims that these objects are either always spherica Similarly, the claims that t... There are also some more typical images (not the “cricket ball” image included in that article): [![](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klerksdorp_sphere#/media/File:SchoharieC2.jpg) ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klerksdorp_sphere#/media/File:SchoharieC2.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/these-are-d-mned-curious-klerksdorp-spheres-with-article-link/997989/5 "2024-02-23T19:36:31Z")
The general public’s complete ignorance of geology will never cease to amaze me. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/these-are-d-mned-curious-klerksdorp-spheres-with-article-link/997989/6 "2024-02-23T19:49:02Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > The general public’s complete ignorance of geology will never cease to amaze me. I’m honestly amazed you’re amazed. At least in the U.S. it is not part of a normal public school curriculum in any depth, even much at the level of general science classes which IME tend to focus much more on basic biology. You might do a section or three over the course of twelve years and learn about tectonic plates as they relate to earthquakes and the difference between igneous and sedimentary rocks (which most people won’t remember). But that’s about it. Also, probably only a handful of non-geology majors will take even an introductory geology course in college. I never did and I find that stuff interesting 🙂. I wish I had and always meant to, but just not enough room in the schedule. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/these-are-d-mned-curious-klerksdorp-spheres-with-article-link/997989/7 "2024-02-23T20:43:13Z")
I, on the other hand, didn’t take biology in high school, instead opting for geology (which I find to be one of the more fascinating studies). ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/these-are-d-mned-curious-klerksdorp-spheres-with-article-link/997989/8 "2024-02-23T20:45:11Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > I’m honestly amazed you’re amazed. It is literally the ground everyone stands on. It’s the absolute, utter lack of even a sliver of curiosity that I find fascinating. That and just how damn _often_ ignorance of geology pops up in pseudoarchaeology or ancient aliens or similar contexts. “Oh, they must be artifacts, Mother Nature don’t make no spheres!”, “Oh, this underwater location must be man-made, ain’t no right angles in nature!”, on and on. Not knowing about geology leaves you vulnerable to believing all kinds of made-up junk. Learning about geology is an antivirus to bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2024, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/these-are-d-mned-curious-klerksdorp-spheres-with-article-link/997989/9 "2024-02-24T00:01:48Z")
“Antivirus to bullshit” sounds like something more likely to be covered in a biology class. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2024, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/these-are-d-mned-curious-klerksdorp-spheres-with-article-link/997989/10 "2024-02-24T00:41:38Z")
Well, metaphorical bullshit isn’t biological, and the metaphorical idea of inoculating one’s self from pseudoscience with real science is sound.