Puntukas
Encyclopedia
Puntukas is the second-largest boulder
in Lithuania
. It is situated some 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) south of Anykščiai
on the left bank of the Šventoji River
. It was believed to be the largest stone in Lithuania until the discovery of Barstyčiai stone in the Skuodas district in 1957.
Puntukas is a glacial erratic
—it was brought by glaciers during the last glacial period (18–12th millennium BC) probably from Finland
. It measures 6.9 metres (22.6 ft) in length, 6.7 m (22 ft) in width, and 5.7 m (18.7 ft) in length (including 1.5 m (4.9 ft) underground). It weights about 265 tons. It is made of Rapakivi granite
. Its reddish mass includes large crystals of potassium
feldspar
surrounded by green rings of oligoclase
.
In 1943 sculptor Bronius Pundzius engraved portraits and quotes from last wills of Lithuanian pilots Steponas Darius
and Stasys Girėnas
for the 10th anniversary of their deaths during the transatlantic flight with Lituanica
. A local legend has it that velnias (a devil in the Lithuanian mythology
) carried the stone to destroy the Anykščiai Church
, however a rooster crowed. The devil disappeared back into the underworld leaving only Puntukas behind. The legend was featured in the famous poem Anykščių šilelis by Antanas Baranauskas
. According to another story, a brave Lithuanian warrior Puntukas was killed and was burned (a usual pagan custom) on the stone; since then it is known as Puntukas stone. Other legends claim that the stone was a pagan shrine and that oaks growing around are relics of the sacred groves.
Boulder
In geology, a boulder is a rock with grain size of usually no less than 256 mm diameter. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive....
in Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
. It is situated some 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) south of Anykščiai
Anykšciai
Anykščiai is a ski resort town in Lithuania, 20 miles west of Utena. The Roman Catholic Church of St. Matthias in Anykščiai is the tallest church in Lithuania, with spires measuring 79 meters in height.The city has a football club FK Anykščiai.-Name:...
on the left bank of the Šventoji River
Šventoji River
The Šventoji River is the longest river that flows entirely within Lithuania and the largest tributary of the Neris River. It originates from the Lake Samanis in the Gražutė Regional Park and flows into Neris near Jonava. The longest tributary of the Šventoji is the Širvinta River.The Šventoji...
. It was believed to be the largest stone in Lithuania until the discovery of Barstyčiai stone in the Skuodas district in 1957.
Puntukas is a glacial erratic
Glacial erratic
A glacial erratic is a piece of rock that differs from the size and type of rock native to the area in which it rests. "Erratics" take their name from the Latin word errare, and are carried by glacial ice, often over distances of hundreds of kilometres...
—it was brought by glaciers during the last glacial period (18–12th millennium BC) probably from Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. It measures 6.9 metres (22.6 ft) in length, 6.7 m (22 ft) in width, and 5.7 m (18.7 ft) in length (including 1.5 m (4.9 ft) underground). It weights about 265 tons. It is made of Rapakivi granite
Rapakivi granite
Rapakivi granite is a hornblende-biotite granite containing large rounded crystals of orthoclase mantled with oligoclase. The name has come to be used most frequently as a textural term where it implies plagioclase rims around orthoclase in plutonic rocks...
. Its reddish mass includes large crystals of potassium
Potassium
Potassium is the chemical element with the symbol K and atomic number 19. Elemental potassium is a soft silvery-white alkali metal that oxidizes rapidly in air and is very reactive with water, generating sufficient heat to ignite the hydrogen emitted in the reaction.Potassium and sodium are...
feldspar
Feldspar
Feldspars are a group of rock-forming tectosilicate minerals which make up as much as 60% of the Earth's crust....
surrounded by green rings of oligoclase
Oligoclase
Oligoclase is a rock-forming mineral belonging to the plagioclase feldspars. In chemical composition and in its crystallographic and physical characters it is intermediate between albite and anorthite . The albite:anorthite molar ratio ranges from 90:10 to 70:30.Oligoclase is a high sodium...
.
In 1943 sculptor Bronius Pundzius engraved portraits and quotes from last wills of Lithuanian pilots Steponas Darius
Steponas Darius
Steponas Darius was a Lithuanian-American pilot....
and Stasys Girėnas
Stasys Girenas
Stasys Girėnas was a Lithuanian-American pilot....
for the 10th anniversary of their deaths during the transatlantic flight with Lituanica
Lituanica
Lituanica was an Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker airplane flown from the United States across the Atlantic Ocean by Lithuanian-American pilots Steponas Darius and Stasys Girėnas in 1933...
. A local legend has it that velnias (a devil in the Lithuanian mythology
Lithuanian mythology
Lithuanian mythology is an example of Baltic mythology, developed by Lithuanians throughout the centuries.-History of scholarship:Surviving information about Baltic paganism in general is very sketchy and incomplete. As with most ancient Indo-European cultures Lithuanian mythology is an example of...
) carried the stone to destroy the Anykščiai Church
Anykščiai Church
Church of Apostle Evangelist St. Matthew in Anykščiai is a red brick Neo-Gothic church in Anykščiai, Lithuania. The Church is situated on the right bank of the Šventoji River. The twin spires of the church, each in height, make the church the tallest in Lithuania...
, however a rooster crowed. The devil disappeared back into the underworld leaving only Puntukas behind. The legend was featured in the famous poem Anykščių šilelis by Antanas Baranauskas
Antanas Baranauskas
Antanas Baranauskas was a Lithuanian poet, mathematician and a catholic bishop of Polish town Sejny. Baranauskas is best known as the author of the Lithuanian language poem Anykščių šilelis. He used various pseudonyms, including A.B., Bangputys, Jurksztas Smalaūsis, Jurkštas Smalaūsis, and Baronas...
. According to another story, a brave Lithuanian warrior Puntukas was killed and was burned (a usual pagan custom) on the stone; since then it is known as Puntukas stone. Other legends claim that the stone was a pagan shrine and that oaks growing around are relics of the sacred groves.