By: Anuradha
Would you believe if anyone says that stones do grow? Well, you will probably not. Stones are non-living materials and therefore, we generally do not think that they can grow. But, the Stones of Costesi in Romania which is also known as “Trovants” appear to grow and they seem really alive!
These stones consist of a stone core with an outer shell of sand and after rains, small forms are said to appear on the rocks and that is the reason to call the stones as ‘growing stones’ by locals.
Amazing geological phenomena?
Trovants is a synonym for the German term ‘Sandsteinkonkretionen’ which means Cemental sand. They were believed to be a type of sandstone concretion that secret cement and they appear to grow at times. The most interesting thing about the stones is that when cut down, they had spherical and ellipsoidal rings similar to the ones of a tree trunk.
Stones that grow and move?
According to the International Geological Congress conducted in Oslo in 2008, these Trovants were ‘sandstone concretions. The study of these Trovants was started in the Carpathians area from about 1883 and by 1900 Kock gave his opinions about their origin.
It was revealed that there was no mineralogical difference between these pseudoconcretions and the surrounding sands, with no distinct nucleus inside them. Their cement was carbonate-type. Some reports also say that some 6 million years ago, there was a sedimentation basin in this area and the Trovants were not identical. Complex aggregates of two or more Trovants can often be found.
According to the hypothesis of the Congress, the Trovants of Romania represents diagenetic textures reflecting paleodynamic conditions and correspond to specific compactions of the sandy sediments containing locally solutions accumulated in the sand.
The gravitation force, seismic shocks, solution cohesion forces and the adhesion strength between the sand grains and the liquid are believed to be involved in this process.
The perfect spherical shaped Trovants are believed to be created because of the magnitude and duration of paleoearthquakes. The growth of the stones is believed to happen as a result of the chemical reaction sets in between the layers of deposits and mineral carbonates in the presence of rainwater.
Tourist attraction.
These growing stones have become one main fascinating site of tourist attraction in Romania and are now protected by UNESCO.
Image Credits: imgur | whenonearth.net