The Thunder Stone is sometimes claimed to be the "largest stone ever moved by man". This stone was large and heavy; it was effectively moved 6 km (3.7 mi) overland to the Gulf of Finland by manpower alone; no animals or machines were used. Transported by barge up the Neva River, it reached St. Petersburg. The entire effort is considered a historic engineering feat.
Due to the large size of the rock, the easiest way to measure its mass is to calculate it. According to the fall 1882 edition of La Nature, its dimensions before being cut were 7 × 14 × 9 m. Based on the density of granite, its mass was determined to be around 1500 tonnes.[8] Falconet had some of this cut away to make a wave-like shape, so the finished pedestal weighed slightly less. It is still the largest when compared to other large, sculpted stones:
The unfinished obelisk in Aswan is estimated to weigh 1200 tonnes. It was never moved, and was never detached from the rock from which it was being carved. 1200 tonnes is less than the initial calculated mass of the Thunder Stone.
The Roman Stone of the Pregnant Woman in Baalbek has dimensions of around 20.5 m × 4–5.3 m × 4.2 m high, putting its mass at ca. 1,000 t.[9] It was removed from its quarry, but sits at an angle not far from the site of its extraction.[citation needed] It has less than the initial mass of the Thunder Stone.
The Western Stone is estimated at 517 tonnes; it was moved as a single piece and was used as a foundation stone in the northern corner of the Western Wall in Jerusalem. The wall was constructed around 20 BC.
The Great Stele at Axum is estimated to have weighed over 500 tonnes. It was moved from its quarry, but is believed to have broken while being erected.
The Levitated Mass rock installed at LACMA's North Lawn in Los Angeles, California, weighed an estimated 340 tons.
The obelisk at the Basilica of St. John Lateran was broken into three pieces. After being transported to Rome, the pieces were put together and secured, as ordered by Pope Sixtus V. At 32 m tall, it probably weighs more than 350 tones.
The Great Broken Menhir of Locmariaquer, now in five pieces, was 20 m tall and likely weighed over 300 tonnes.