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What causes the different colors/color patterns in the rock?

Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2008 10:30 am
by wil
At least for the color red, my theory is that it is from iron in the rock. But how come sometimes you will see a red circle? Maybe from tiny organisms that excrete iron? I'm no scientist, maybe someone out there knows for sure.

Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2008 11:09 am
by TradMike
It's a phenomenon known as liesegang rings. If you can figure it out you could write a paper.

Image

http://www.insilico.hu/liesegang/index.html
http://irna.lautre.net/Tout-ce-que-la-n ... s,150.html

Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2008 11:15 am
by der uber
I'm pretty sure it's because the rocks are made out of wood

Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2008 11:27 am
by Steve
God

Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2008 12:14 pm
by kek-san
Pigsteak used to use sidewalk chalk for ticking.

Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2008 12:59 pm
by wil
Sometimes you come across potholes and they will be colored red from where the water was sitting in for a while. That is what leads me to believe it may be from algea or lichens or something. But then again I have seen a very similar solid red or orange circles on a verticle rock face.

Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2008 1:54 pm
by TradMike
Formation of ball and ellipsoid like precipitate zones of iron could probably cause the round red balls. I see them all over Red Rock in NV. I have one that I brought home that is a perfect 2" sphere. There's a climb in Red Rocks that has these round red balls sticking out of the rock everywhere.

Image

Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2008 2:25 pm
by kato
Every time you tell a lie, a red spot appears on the rock.

Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2008 3:24 pm
by pkananen
probably the LSD

Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2008 8:28 pm
by Myke Dronez
Maybe fossils of the Jesus-saurus Rex!