The Cliff That Lays Eggs
In a village in southern China, a cliff slowly 'lays' smooth stone eggs, which drop to the ground every few decades.
What was reported
In the village of Gulu in Guizhou province, home to the Shui people, a small cliff face called Chan Da Ya is studded with smooth, round, dark stones. Every few decades, one of these 'eggs' works loose and drops to the ground. Villagers say the cliff lays an egg about every 30 years.
Families collect the eggs and keep them as treasures, believing they bring good luck and prosperity. Many homes in the village have one.
Explanations offered
Geologists explain that the cliff is made of soft, layered rock, which weathers away relatively quickly, while the eggs are harder concretions of mineral that formed inside it hundreds of millions of years ago. As the softer rock erodes around them, the eggs are slowly exposed until they fall.
- When
- Known for generations
- Where
- Gulu village, Sandu County, Guizhou, China
- Witnesses
- The Shui people of Gulu and visitors
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.