What is a mimetolith?

Do you see faces in odd places? If so, you’re not alone. Seeing faces in things that don’t actually have a face (clouds, rocks, trees, etc.) is a common experience for most people. Our brains are wired from birth to seek familiar patterns, especially faces.

If you see a face in a rock formation, what you are actually seeing, is a mimetolith. Mimetoliths are rock formations that resemble human faces, animals, or other recognizable shapes. The word ‘mimetolith’ first appeared in print from R. V. Dietrich in 1989. The term comes from the Greek words ‘mimetes’ (imitator) and ‘lithos’ (stone).

One of the most famous examples was the Old Man of the Mountain in Franconia Notch, New Hampshire. First noticed by an 1805 survey crew, this mimetolith was enshrined in Nathaniel Hawthorn's short story ‘The Great Stone Face’. The face was formed by a series of cliff edges which, when viewed from a particular angle, appeared to be a human face. Over time, erosion and weathering made the face harder to see; it eventually collapsed in 2003.

Mimetoliths are examples of pareidolia, the tendency to see meaningful images in natural patterns when none actually exist. If you’re the type of person who sees shapes in clouds, that’s another example of pareidolia.

Although it may seem like a useless ability, some researchers believe that the tendency (or ability) to spot patterns that resemble people and animals, may have helped keep humans safe in our long-ago hunter-gatherer past.