Moeraki Boulders Koekohe Beach, Moeraki, Otago, New Zealand

Beauty to spare

Seen here against a striking sunset, this NorCal oddity near Point Arena is known as Bowling Ball Beach for its abundant spheroid boulders called concretions. These hard, dense mineral masses formed around leaves, pebbles, shells, and other small objects buried in softer sediment—not unlike how oysters create pearls around tiny irritants. After eons of erosion, the bowling balls now sit atop the beach face, where the low tide exposes them to create scenes like this.