Concretions by auntietk
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Description
Thanks to Claude (photosynthesis) for the recommendation! We went to Shore Acres State Park in Oregon, and had a blast! It was cold and windy and on the verge of rain the whole time we were there, and we had ZERO service on our phones, but still ... it was a terrific stop.
Do you remember the picture he posted of the fascinating rock formations? Check out Claude's picture here: Eroded Sandstone
In geology there's a thing called "concretion." That's when a leaf, or a twig, or a crab, or a shell or something, is covered by mineral deposits. The deposits grow over time and harden. When the surrounding mud (or whatever) solidifies, it traps the concretions and they become part of the surrounding rock. So what you have are these mineral balls that are covering a leaf or whatever, and they sit around in the sandstone for a bazillion years until they erode out.
Got it?
"How are concretions different from an amygdaloid formation?" you might ask, and that's a great question! (I know you were all just dying to know, particularly Claude, who is probably on the edge of his seat right now. Not in anticipation, but in boredom. He's off to get a cup of tea and wait for me to stop talking. LOL!) When rock is forming (like lava) and gas bubbles are trapped in the cooling rock, the gas forms pockets that are eventually filled with minerals. So. Mineral balls (basically) in the end, but the process is quite different.
So here on the Oregon coast we have these concretions ... loads and loads of them ... and as the surf crashes on the sandstone every minute of the world, those concretions are released by erosion and end up on the beach. What's left are the sandstone pockets where the concretions were.
In this picture you can see a bunch of empty pockets, as well as some concretions that haven't fallen out yet. The stripes on the right-hand side are coal seams, btw.
If you get a chance, go to Cape Arago and check out Shore Acres. Such a cool place!!
Oh yeah ... I found a blog with a bunch of terrific pictures and easy-to-understand text. Check out What On Earth Is A Concretion?"
Comments (18)
Faemike55
Fabulous and fascinating capture and explanation
photosynthesis
Well, Tara, now you've gone & taken all the mystery out of it! It's okay, though, because when I wake up tomorrow morning, I will have completely forgotten your entire explanation.
On the other hand, you confirmed my theory that you would find a totally different, original & appealing way to photograph these sandstone formations...
npauling
These are wonderful formations and I am so glad you have given us an explanation of how they are formed. I have seen some of these here too but never knew their name so thank you for that. A lovely capture.
wysiwig
This is so cool! It looks like a badly frosted cake.
Freethinker56
Amazing how this all happens and thank for the info ,Fabulous capture
giulband
Very well taken !!
LivingPixels
Cool shot!!!
beachzz
Wow, these are amazing--we've been up and down the Oregon Coast and I don't think I ever saw this place. Gonna have to make that happen soon!!
T.Rex
Ha! Now you've given away where you found the location for this photo! Very interesting, these concretion phenomena. My first encounter with the word was as applied to supposed dino poop! The concretions here make me think of the allosaurus head some paleontologists put through a CT scanner, and got a very detailed reconstruction of its brain! Usually the matter inside a dino skull is discarded as so much "dirt". The same principle created that skull contents as the concretions in this photo. And very nice of you to point out the thin coal seams! Suggestive of a lesser catastrophy or accumulation of wood inja thin layer. Some of the concretion here look like crabs or trilobites. This is just SO fascinating. Wish I could go there for a good look. Keep up the good work! :-)
SunriseGirl
I love this gorgeous photo and especially with you very interesting (I was on the edge of MY seat) Information
blankfrancine
Amazing formation and capture.Great info, too.
RodS
Very cool discovery - love the details and patterns here. A wonderful capture, Tara!
bmac62
Just when I thought we had seen everything on the Oregon coast, we came across this fascinating place! And the whole subject of concretions was completely new to me... Superb photo and explanation.
X-PaX
Cool capture Tara. It could also be a Mandelbulb fractal
Well done.
kgb224
Superb capture Tara. God bless.
Wolfenshire
Mother nature making cool patterns.
blondeblurr
This word is also new to me and I honestly had never questioned it either, just excepted it the way nature creates and the way it appears - but I do fancy the look of the sandstone 'deconstructed dessert' ...
junge1
Fantastic capture!