Ball's Pyramid

　　   Ball's Pyramid is a sea stack made of igneous rock situated in the Tasman Sea off the eastern coast of Australia, about 600 kilometers from the Australian mainland. It is a remnant of ancient volcanic activity in the Tasman Sea, formed around 7 million years ago. With an elevation of 1,100 meters and a width of 300 meters, it is considered the tallest volcanic stack in the world. Its sheer cliffs rise dramatically from the ocean with almost no vegetation, resembling a pyramid, and are surrounded by only a few small nearby sea stacks.

　　   Historical records indicate that Ball's Pyramid was discovered in 1788 by the British Royal Navy under the command of Henry Lidgbird Ball, after whom it was named. The first recorded human landing on the pyramid occurred nearly a century later in 1882 by Australian geologist Henry Wilkinson. On February 14, 1965, members of the Sydney Rock Climbing Club made the first successful ascent to the summit. In 2001, a group of entomologists and conservationists investigating the flora and fauna unexpectedly discovered a very small population of Lord Howe Island stick insects living beneath a single Melaleuca shrub. The population numbered just over 20 individuals — the first live specimens seen since 1920. This discovery became the foundation for subsequent conservation and breeding efforts.

　　   Ball's Pyramid    Must-see reason: The world’s tallest volcanic stack    Continent: Oceania    Country/Region: Australia    Province/State: New South Wales