Sunday, November 15, 2009

History In A Stone



It's a beautiful November day and Ed has been playing with stones. When he found this one, it won a place on top of one of the walls. I think the hole in the rock sort of looks like an eye staring back at you. What could have made this interesting hole?

Jane's stones occasionally show similar holes. Jane lives along a stream, and has given us many beautiful water worn stones. They add something special to Ed's walls when he uses them. Many years past, there was a paint pigment operation upstream from where Jane lives. In those days paint pigments were obtained by chipping the colored deposits out of stones. The stones were then discarded by the stream. High water washes these stones downstream to Jane's.

Ed found this stone at our gravel bank. Although the stone was placed on the wall today, it looks like it could have been there for some time. If left in this position, water may fill the hole and freeze breaking the stone. Now we have a dilemma. If we leave the stone where we can see it, it may be broken. We could put it someplace safe. Wait a minute, it's a rock.

2 comments:

Ed said...

Since the stone here is sedimentary, that is formed under water from water born particles, I am having trouble seeing how the hole was dissolved. Actually, I have no idea how the hole formed. Perhaps that stone eating creature from Star Trek is responsible.

PlantingOaks said...

Would this be why 'paint creek' is such a common name to see on road trips?
How interesting.