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Natural Design Series: Stones That Literally Grow by Themselves

June 2, 2008

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In the first part of our Natural Design series, Environmental Graffiti reporter Vlad Jecan explores the natural phenomenon of Trovants: stones that literally grow by themselves

Romania may be known as the land of Dracula, heaped with bloodthirsty vampires and other creatures shaped by Hollywood imagination, but it is also a land where nature has had an interesting activity.

Far less known to the world then Dracula, stand an impressive number of stones which quite literally grow by themselves. This may be a great subject for the next Stephen King nove: living stones attacking a group of American scientists, who were trying to investigate the roots of Dracula’s legend. The stones are real and known to mortals as Trovants.

Near a village, just south of central Romania a number of stone formations with alien features lie dormant, witnesses to the passing of time; that is – until it rains. Not long after the last drops of water fall, they begin a multiplication process. Small oval or round blain-like forms appear on the upper part of them. Many people are amazed and even locals are impressed when after heavy rainfall these rock formations begin to ‘live.’ Locals have aptly dubbed them, “growing stones.”

Trovants have a hard stone core but their shells are made of sand, as most examples have been found in sandy regions. Geologists argue that the rocks are the result of a cementation process that occurred millions of years ago in this region and it is somehow accepted that their creation has its roots in the early diagenesis. Scientifically these stones are sandstone concretions and the weird forms are achieved by an irregular secretion of cement.

In 2006 a museum was built to host some of these remarkable pieces. Within the walls and outside of the “Muzeul Trovantilor” (Trovant Museum) in Costesti, a village in the Valcea region, visitors can see various Trovants in different shapes and sizes from small examples to some that are over 10 meters tall.

More photos: 1 - 2

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Written by Vlad Jecan · Filed Under Ecology 

Comments

28 Responses to “Natural Design Series: Stones That Literally Grow by Themselves”

  1. Avatarmozey
    Posted: Jun 2nd, 2008 at 11:19 pm
    1

    AMAZING, next to the celtick rocks, this is probably the most amazing rocks there is!.

    Does’nt one of the rocks look like a pissed off little dude with his bird!, this is anmiation of what i’m talking about!

    Reply to this comment.
  2. AvatarSierra
    Posted: Jun 3rd, 2008 at 7:38 am
    2

    Too interesting!!! I live in Romania but it’s the first time i hear about these stones.

    Reply to this comment.
  3. Avatarfunny
    Posted: Jun 3rd, 2008 at 4:08 pm
    3

    Interesting, I came to see what someone digged as a rock that looks like a alien that was in an old captian kirk star trek episode.

    but these rocks are interesting.

    Reply to this comment.
  4. AvatarWork Post
    Posted: Jun 3rd, 2008 at 5:25 pm
    4

    These Trovants look like villains from old-school 1980s Dr. Who episodes.

    Cool.

    Reply to this comment.
  5. AvatarBrittany
    Posted: Jun 3rd, 2008 at 5:26 pm
    5

    They’re Gremlin rocks. :)

    Reply to this comment.
  6. AvatarDone
    Posted: Jun 3rd, 2008 at 5:51 pm
    6

    What would be interesting is to develop an self enclosed rain chamber and then display them as an art exhibit, and exhibit from city to city, adding also maybe a time lapsed video plasma display to compliment the exhibit.

    Just a thought, too much time on my hands I guess, but an interesting story none-the-less.

    Reply to this comment.
  7. AvatarTarzan
    Posted: Jun 3rd, 2008 at 6:15 pm
    7

    Ok, the title is not descriptive. the rocks arn’t growing. they just expand when water is in contact with their cement-like interiors. “Growing” implies that they are gaining mass. but they’re not. They’re just gaining size.

    Reply to this comment.
  8. pingback pingback:
    Posted: Jun 3rd, 2008 at 6:37 pm
    8
    Hey Trettin - these rocks grow (probably stack themselves too) | JoshNelson.Org

    […] called Trovanti (or something like that).  Check ‘em out here and here and […]

    Reply to this comment.
  9. AvatarNaser
    Posted: Jun 3rd, 2008 at 7:11 pm
    9

    Sweet zombie jesus..I want one.

    Reply to this comment.
  10. pingback pingback:
    Posted: Jun 3rd, 2008 at 8:53 pm
    10
    Bizarro Trash » Blog Archive » As pedras que se reproduzem

    […] Via: Enviromental Grafitti […]

    Reply to this comment.
  11. Avatardusty
    Posted: Jun 3rd, 2008 at 9:05 pm
    11

    clearly witches are behind this growing rock sorcery.

    Reply to this comment.
  12. Avatarsubcorpus
    Posted: Jun 4th, 2008 at 1:43 am
    12

    just a better way to express rock therapy … :P

    Reply to this comment.
  13. Avatarra
    Posted: Jun 4th, 2008 at 2:43 am
    13

    That is so weeeird! As a kid I use to pass by those rocks all the time when going to visit my relatives (the “highway” is right by the sight) but I had no idea until today about the weird phenomenon going on at Costesti!

    Reply to this comment.
  14. Avatarlavender188
    Posted: Jun 4th, 2008 at 5:09 am
    14

    Pet rock kicked up a knotch? :)

    Reply to this comment.
  15. Avatarnick
    Posted: Jun 4th, 2008 at 5:11 am
    15

    ooohhhoohohohhohhhhh….jeeeeeeeeeeeeezzzzz!!!!..

    Reply to this comment.
  16. AvatarTheBigE
    Posted: Jun 4th, 2008 at 7:55 am
    16

    Always wondered what happened to my pet rock after he ran away from home…spoiled little bastard….He broke his mothers heart…..*sigh*…He wasn’t a rock,He was a rock Lobster.

    Reply to this comment.
  17. AvatarBenobins
    Posted: Jun 4th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
    17

    everything grows… everything

    Reply to this comment.
  18. AvatarGameGrrl
    Posted: Jun 4th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
    18

    Ooooh, I want one! But it rains too much where I live, and in a few years I’m sure the rock would get too big for my yard!

    Reply to this comment.
  19. Avatarreddy
    Posted: Jun 4th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
    19

    Chia-rocks

    Reply to this comment.
  20. AvatarRichard
    Posted: Jun 4th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
    20

    What if this could be adapted to boats…self healing boats.

    Or perhaps it could be used for self healing aeronautic structures where exposure to air would cause a secretion resulting in self healing flaws.

    It isn’t so much about conquering nature. Rather it is about preventing nature from conquering us.

    Reply to this comment.
  21. Avatartee hee
    Posted: Jun 4th, 2008 at 8:11 pm
    21

    Fa Pu Tss What?

    Reply to this comment.
  22. AvatarKevin
    Posted: Jun 4th, 2008 at 10:34 pm
    22

    It’s Bush’s fault. Go Obama.

    Reply to this comment.
  23. Avatarjuanitoplus
    Posted: Jun 5th, 2008 at 12:29 am
    23

    20

    But self healing with carbonate ? I don´t think so, It could be used as ofensive weapon perhaps…to inmovilizate an armor.

    Reply to this comment.
  24. AvatarCarlos E Santos
    Posted: Jun 5th, 2008 at 1:41 am
    24

    verdaderamente increible.

    Reply to this comment.
  25. AvatarMe
    Posted: Jun 5th, 2008 at 3:54 am
    25

    As lavender188 said, “Pet rock kicked up a knotch? :)”

    I say, hey once you take it home, you can’t take it back. Too big to fit in the car.

    Reply to this comment.
  26. AvatarEarl
    Posted: Jun 5th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
    26

    Exactly how old are these rocks?
    The average rainfall in Romania in June, July and August is 20+ inches per month. After (perhaps) millions (or even billions) of years, shouldn’t the Trovant stones be larger than the earth and the earth appear to be merely a small round shaped that formed on the Trovants.

    Reply to this comment.
  27. AvatarAlex
    Posted: Jun 6th, 2008 at 2:40 am
    27

    I think you’re right about mass reaching a limit. If this growth process can be explained by some chemical reaction, then the ingredients involved in the reaction would be consumed at some point. And this reaction would stop when the scarcest ingredient present is used up.

    Reply to this comment.
  28. Avatarlolcat
    Posted: Jun 6th, 2008 at 3:24 am
    28

    Nice!

    Reply to this comment.
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