South Africa - Mysteries

The Klerksdorp Spheres: Three-Billion-Year-Old Balls That Were Never Made by Anyone

November 8, 2026November 7, 2026 by Tommy Hayes

A reddish-brown hematite concretion, roughly spherical, known as a Klerksdorp sphere, photographed against a plain background

About 4 min readSmall grooved spheres from 3-billion-year-old rock near Ottosdal, South Africa, were once hailed as proof of ancient manufacture. Geologists who cut them open found something far older and far more ordinary: natural mineral concretions.

SS Waratah: The Liner That Sailed Out of Durban — and Never Arrived

November 8, 2026November 7, 2026 by Tommy Hayes

The passenger liner SS Waratah at sea in 1909

About 4 min readOn 26 July 1909, the new liner SS Waratah left Durban for Cape Town with 211 people aboard. She was seen once the next morning — and then never again. No wreck, no survivor and no confirmed debris have ever been found.