Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Liesegang Rings


After reading my post about lenticular clouds, Yvetta asked me if I had heard of liesegang rings. Well, I thought I had. Maybe it was from her. Anyway, after looking at the links she sent me, I thought of the rocks at Abalone Cove. It seemed to me they were full of liesegang rings.


Don't ask me to explain how the rings are formed, I don't remember enough of the chemistry I took years ago and I never took geology. Anyway, I am not sure that the chemists know exactly what causes them either. You are welcome to read the Wikipedia list of theories, and if you understand them, tell me about it. It has something to do with periodic precipitation. (More waves? More symmetry.) Let's just enjoy their beauty.








Apparently, the "rings" can be textural, too.






You may have to click on this photo to see a larger version that makes the rings more apparent.




Here is a link to some other photos similar to the ones I am showing here. And finally, there is also this Hungarian site that tells you more than you ever wanted to know about liesegang rings.

1 comment:

  1. really do love the rock formations - MK

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