Ringstone (Sormuskivi) – One of Finland’s Largest Erratics

Location

  • Tassiantie 1-3 54230 Lappeenranta Navigate

Sormuskivi (Ringstone) is one of Finland’s largest erratics – its greatest visible dimensions are 8m x 8m x 7m, and some of the erratic is underground. The boulder is composed of rapakivigranite, or more precisely viborgite, which is characterised by pale plagioclase rings surrounding rounded calcareous grains. EXPERIENCE ONE OF THE LARGEST BOULDERS IN FINLAND Now resting on an estuarine plateau, the Ring Stone was transported by glaciers from the north-west, a maximum distance of four kilometres. The boulder was once used as a lookout point, while today it serves as a landmark in the central square of Nuijamaa. There are several different stories about the origin of the name of the ring stone - whether it derives its name from the ring-shaped plagioclase rings or, as one story claims, from a hand found on the stone during the famine years, with a ring still on one of its fingers.