Thursday, January 24, 2013

Growing Stones An Incredible Geological Phenomena


31 December, 2012

First version of this article was originally published on 17 May, 2012
MessageToEagle.com - Earth is an amazing planet and our nature is full of wonders. We have previously written about incredible singing plants.
This time we would like to focus our readers' attention on another amazing geological phenomena, namely so-called growing stones.
It is difficult to image that stones can really grow, but these stones seem to be alive!
The Romanian Trovants Museum Natural Reserve is located in Valcea County, close to the road connecting Ramnicu Valcea and Targu Jiu, 8 km far from Horezu.
Here in a small village named Costesti, there are some fascinating and mysterious stones, called trovants, which are believed to have a life in them. Trovant is a geological term used often in Romania. It means cemented sand.

rovants are geological phenomena which consist in spherical shapes of cemented sand, appeared due to some powerful seismic activity.The earthquakes that led to the creation of the first trovants are supposed to have taken place 6 million years ago.
What makes these trovants unique and mysterious is that are reproducing after coming in contact with water.
After heavy raining the stones grow starting with 6-8 millimetres and ending with 6-10 meters.
It's really remarkable!

One of the strangest aspects about these stones is that although they vary in size, from a couple of millimeters to even 10 m, they are very similar, taking into account a natural law that states there are no such things as identical stones.

Trovants in Romania are stones that grow.
In addition, just like the famous rocks in Death Valley, California, the trovants often move from one place to another place.
Scientists believe that the stones increase in size due to high content of various mineral salts, which are under their shell. When the surface becomes wet, these chemicals start spreading and put pressure on the sand, making the stone "grow".

A "living" stone.

A trovant having a strange shape.


Today trovants are protected.

However, despite their best efforts, scientists have failed to come up with a logical explanation why the stones have extensions that remind of roots. If they are cut, their sections have colored rings, just like trees.
These stones behave almost like some kind of unknown inorganic life-form! We cannot deny that our planet is truly amazing!
Local residents have been aware of the stones unusual properties for more than 100 years, but they have never paid the trovants any special attention. The stones were often used as building materials and tombstones.
Today, the Trovants Museum in Romania is protected by UNESCO.
@ MessageToEagle.com

http://www.messagetoeagle.com/livingstones.php

No comments:

Post a Comment