Deformed Rock

Deformed Rock

I find these rocks beautiful.  They were included in a bucket I bought at the lithic and lapidary show a year ago last summer.  I am still going through them as I have time.

How could these shapes come about?  I have learned from watching "How the Earth was Made" that there are forces and heat as well as sedimentation that brings these about.  Hypothetically speaking, the lines could have been laid down as sediment.  Later that rock could have been subjected to heat and pressure, probably deep in the earth's crust.  That could have formed it into these intricate shapes.

Deformed Rock

Please note the skin of crystals on top.  We will see more of it later on.  

Crystals on Deformed Rock

This is a closeup view of the skin of crystals from the previous shot.  As I understand, the crystals form as the rock cools.  It the rock cools quickly near or at the surface, the crystals are small.  If it cools slowly under pressure, further down, the crystals grow larger.  This skin of crystals may have formed as a separate process at a later time than the deformation we saw first.

Crystals on Deformed Rock

The crystals appear to be clear.  The question becomes, "What could they be?"  Diamonds are formed at great depth and under great heat and pressure.  They then come to the surface through kimberlite pipes.  I have no idea whether they are diamonds.  I can tell you that if they are, they are very, very small.

http://www.larrysimages.com/


Follow Larry's Images on Facebook.

Feed 


If you wish to unsubscribe, email to larry@larrysimages.com with "unsubscribe" in the subject line.