Balls Pyramid

Ball's Pyramid is a unique geological masterpiece that stands majestically in the Pacific Ocean, 20 kilometres southeast of Lord Howe Island in Australia.

It is an erosional remnant of a shield volcano and caldera that was formed over 6.4 million years ago. The stack is positioned in the centre of a submarine shelf and is surrounded by tumultuous sea making it inaccessible.

Ball's Pyramid is the tallest volcanic stack in the world, measuring 1,100 metres in length and standing tall at 562 metres high. It is only 300 metres across, making it an imposing sight to behold. It is part of the Lord Howe Island Marine Park in Australia and is over 643 kilometres northeast of Sydney, New South Wales. The Lord Howe Island Rise, the submerged continent of Zealandia, on which it is based, gives rise to Ball's Pyramid.

The pyramid was discovered in 1788 by British naval officer Lt. Henry Lidgbird Ball, who named it after himself. It wasn't explored further until 1965 when a team of climbers successfully scaled it.

Though Ball's Pyramid primarily consists of steep rock faces and sparse vegetation, it is still home to a few interesting species. The Lord Howe Island stick insect was thought to be extinct until a small colony of them was discovered on Balls Pyramid in 2001. Other species include the masked booby, wedge-tailed shearwater, and red-tailed tropicbird. Furthermore, a few species of fish and sharks can be found in the surrounding waters.

Visiting Ball's Pyramid is not possible, but the stack can be sighted from groups of islands and reefs surrounding it. It's a remarkable and truly breathtaking sight that draws in visitors from all over the world