Stone Two was found on the Back Beach at Riverton last year, at the end of the road, on the shores of Foveaux Strait, with Rakiura/Stewart Island in the background. I think it is a quartzite stone, with lace-like tendrils spread throughout. As I have stated in a previous Post, Quartzites are not as common along the south coast as at Birdlings Flat in Canterbury, but I always find a couple of excellent ones at Riverton and Orepuki. They polish well, often have great colour, have interesting veins through them, and there’s a depth to them that makes them intriguing.
A quartzite starts off as a quartz-rich sandstone, a sedimentary rock that is grainy and feels like sandpaper. When the sandstone is exposed to high temperatures and pressures, the hard glassy metamorphic rock of quartzite is formed. Quartzite’s wide variety of colours are a result of minor amounts of impurities being incorporated with the quartz during the process of metamorphism. It is often the cloudy or lace-like trails of impurities that provide the most fascinating aspect of a quartzite stone.
Next Post in this Series is Stay-at-Home Day Three.
Fascinationg how the impurities only add to the beauty. Must be a metaphor there! I’m really enjoying the calendar you sent me. Soon will be turning to another page.
Thanks for your comment, Kay. I am fortunate to have spent a few days based in Riverton before the covid-19 disruptions happened, so I have plenty of stones from Riverton beaches and Gemstone Beach to spend time with over the next few weeks. Hope you are able to keep safe and sane. J
Yes I’ve got lots of writing projects to keep me busy. Am thankful for no ‘outside commitments’ actually!