Stone on the “Plato of Genghis Khan” in Buryatia makes smartphones show charging

On the ecological trail "Taphar Plateau" in the Ivolginsky district of Buryatia, an unusual boulder was found. When in contact with it, smartphones display a charging indicator. The effect has already been appreciated by foreign tourists.

Head of the Department of Culture and Tourism of the Ivolginsky District Administration Olga Lyktypova said that she noticed the effect personally during a working trip to the trail. When she put the phone on the rock, a charging icon appeared on the screen. It was worth moving away - the indicator disappeared. The phone's return to the boulder caused the icon to appear again.

“When I came here for work, I put the phone down, I see that charging shows up. I think there's something wrong with the phone. Back off, the charging's gone. I put it on the stone again, charging is going, the press service of the government of Buryatia quotes Lyktypova.

Later she showed this place to tourists from Japan. According to her, they were shocked – everyone surrounded the stone and checked if charging on their devices. Everyone also had a charging process.

However, experts warn that this is only a visual effect, not a real transfer of energy. As explained by astrophysicist Alexander Kiselev, the wireless charging module in the phone responds to external electromagnetic interference. The source of weak radiation can be minerals with ferromagnetic properties - for example, magnetite or hematite - or piezoelectric effect in rocks. The phone “thinks” that there is a wireless charging pad nearby, and shows the icon, although there is no real battery recharge.

Professor Nikolai Budnev also confirms that one magnetic field is not enough to charge. “The magnetic field of the boulder can affect the phone: for example, a charging icon will appear on the screen, but the phone itself will not charge,” he said.

The Taphar Plateau Eco-Trail, also known as the Genghis Khan Path, is part of the eponymous project implemented within the framework of the federal Far East Pathways project. Taphar Plateau is a rocky table mountain with a flat top, from where panoramic views of the Ivolginsk valley open. The area received its second name because of legends: according to one of the legends, Genghis Khan’s headquarters could be here during his stay in the valley.