Once upon a time sand was deposited on the shore of a warm inland sea. This sand was rich in iron so was a lovely shade of red. As the sea receded, the sand dried out and hardened. Eventually, the sand turned into red sandstone.
Over time, water returned to the area and carved its way through the rocky area. The red sandstone was exposed for a long while as the water lapped around it.
As the temperature changed, the water began to evaporate and become more concentrated. As this happened, the water began to bleach out the stone in areas where small cracks wound through it, causing light colored stripes throughout the red.
The sandstone spent many centuries exposed to the elements, weathering time.
Eventually, the rock broke apart and tumbled to the ground, pieces landing in a talus pile below.
The broken chunk of rock, with its intricate striping design, laid within the pile of rubble until a human came by and took it home to be in their rock collection.
That is one possibility, anyway!
Neat
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3 comments:
This has been quite a quest for you. Did not know it would be such a big deal when we gave you "Grandma's rock. She would have loved all the attention her rock has received.
Love Mom
It has been a lot of fun! I only wish I could have found photos of other rocks like ours and where they were found. My quest will probably last forever! :-)
By the way, Noticed in the left column that "Nacho" follows your blog. Could this be your #1 son? I copied the picture, then did a rotate and it sure looks like him, even distorted.
M
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