IMAGES: Saudi Arabia - The conspiracy theories around the cut rock

In northwestern Saudi Arabia stands a rock that does not look like the others - to such an extent that it has given birth to multiple conspiracy theories.

It is a giant and is located in the oasis of Taima.

It has a height of more than nine meters and a width of over 7,5 meters, while on its surface is engraved a figure that is considered to represent a man riding a horse.

But what excites the crowds is not the shape, but the fact that the rock is literally cut in two, in a completely straight line - as if it had been done by an alien with a laser.

And of course, these are more or less the theories that its existence has caused.

A group of supernaturalists even claim that the tearing of the rock may have been caused when an alien made a mistake "with his laser on a random planet that found its species and accidentally cut the rock in two".

However, geologist Cherry Lewis stressed that the phenomenon is completely natural.

Specifically, Lewis told MailOnline:
"It could have been caused by the erosion of the cooling-thawing alternation, which occurs when water is trapped in a small crack in the rock.

As temperatures drop, the water freezes and expands, causing the cracks to open and lengthen.

"Then, when the ice melts, the water moves deeper and deeper into the crack."

As he noted, this process can continue for thousands or even millions of years, until the rock is finally cut in two.

"This process, combined with wind erosion, which is more intense in a desert environment, could also explain how the rock rests on the ground," he concluded.

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