Seat Belts Everyone!
No, this is not going to be a normal field trip, you silly Arnold! You’re with the Frizz – well, technically, the knock-off Frizz. (I don’t have a cool bus or a pet chameleon, but I do have the frizzy hair!) Anyway, I’m substituting today, so get ready to go to an odd place to find a truly wonderful thing! Read my hopefully-not-a-snooze paper and answer the requirements below in order to claim your find.
Introducing the Wonder
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There we go. Wonderstone is a special kind of stone known primarily for its unique banding patterns that look like those rainbow jawbreakers after someone drops them on the floor and they split open. Actually, these stones look even better, and Carlos says they’d make for a next-level rock candy! (Don’t listen to him, he’s clearly never tasted one.)
Wonderstone is a form of sedimentary rock made up of layers of fine clay minerals like kaolinite, illite, and montmorillonite mixed with other kinds of minerals like quartz, feldspar, and calcite. It forms from deposits of volcanic ash or tuffaceous sediments that undergo physical and chemical alteration over thousands of years. The banding is a result of the different minerals settling at different rates all while experiencing different environmental conditions over time. And all this produces a really different rock that is valued highly for making jewelry, sculptures, and art!
“According to MY research,” says Dorothy Ann, “wonderstone is actually among the softer rocks making it easy to carve and shape!”
Common Types of Wonder Stone
Now there are actually quite a few kinds of wonderstone in the world. The most common include the following:
- Rainbow Wonderstone – Probably the most colorful of the bunch, this type can display reds, browns, yellows, and greens all in vibrant layers. It is very much valued for use in crafting decorative objects, and it lends itself to providing amazing visual effects.
- Picture Wonderstone – This type is special because it is so intricately patterned. Many people think that these patterns resemble landscapes, clouds, or natural scenes. All these designs are the direct result of the special layering of the minerals within the rock as it forms.
- Red Wonderstone – This wonderstone, as you can guess, is prominently red. From deep crimson to light pink (and even sometimes orange) its layers are stupendous to observe!
- Yellow Wonderstone – Like red wonderstone above, this type sticks to one accent color – yellow! It can contain layers ranging from pale lemon to warm, earthy-golden tones.
- Green Wonderstone – I personally do not see much of this variety around here. Its unique coloration stems from its containing the minerals chlorite or epidote. The layers can range from pastels to striking emerald. (Seriously, if you find one, shoot me the coords please…)
- White Wonderstone – This type is also not common, and its elegance is valued. Its layers are typically off-white or cream colored - duh.
This list is not comprehensive. There are so many more types to discover across the globe!
Geological Formation
Alright, what’s say we go jump in a volcano for this next part? I can hear Keesha in the back howling, “Oh bad, oh bad, oh bad, bad, bad!” Right, I still don’t have a magic bus; so we’re going to have skip that part of the trip… Anyway, like I mentioned before, wonderstone is formed from volcanic activity, sedimentary deposition, and physical/chemical alteration. Conveniently, these processes occur in steps.
1. Volcanic Activity – Somewhere deep in the earth, a volcano is preparing to hurl its ashy guts out onto the surface. The ash or tuffaceous sediments - whichever flavor of vape the volcano had been smoking (is this still child appropriate? Pheobe wants me to know that, “At my old school, the teachers never talked about smoking like that!”) will be quite fine grained and alongside the minerals will include glass and rock.
2. Sedimentary Deposition – the ashes will gradually accumulate in layers whether on land or underwater (in lakes, rivers, and oceans). Sometimes the wind or water will carry the material elsewhere where it will be exposed to new environmental conditions and where more uniqueness will be introduced to the future rock.
3. Compaction and Cementation – here’s where the material actually becomes a rock! The weight from layer upon layer of ash gradually becomes so heavy that any water or air between the particles gets pushed out; and, at this point, the minerals that had become dissolved in any water still present start acting like a cement glueing all the ash together. Presto! We have a little Dwane Johnson.
4. Diagenesis and Alteration – Now this rock is still buried, and all that weight is still working on the rock to transform it into the wonderstone we know and love. Chemical changes brought about by high temperatures also help to encourage wonderstone’s formation at this time. Thanks to these processes, the minerals in our rock can become altered specifically through recrystallization, dissolution, and chemical reactions. The textures, colors, and patterns in the banding of the wonderstone develop here. Often, this is the final step of wonderstone formation.
5. Regional Metamorphism – An extra step that some wonderstones proceed through, like kids in AP classes, is regional metamorphism. This is a step in which our previously sedimentary rock turns into metamorphic rock via exposure to even higher pressures and temperatures exerted upon it by tectonic movements. The Wonderstone will take on characteristics like those of slate or schist if they “pass this class”.
Overall, the specific textures and colorations within the wonderstone depend upon the unique composition of the minerals composing it as well as on the processes and the extent to which those processes work on it during formation. This all means that different areas can have very different wonderstones.
Wonderstone Properties
Wonderstone is only moderately hard; and, therefore, it is soft enough to make it a workable medium for the hand tools of artisans. It is also only moderately dense. Therefore, it is both durable and reasonably light-weight – another bonus for art class. This rock is finely textured and weather resistant. Is it just me, or are you starting to feel those creative juices flowing? Haha! I beat Ralphie to using his catch phrase.
Occurrences
Ok, so now I’m fairly certain you along with the rest of this class are itching to go rock hounding! But I still don’t have that magic bus so I can’t exactly take you right now.
“What are we gonna do? What are we gonna do? What are we gonna do?” you and Wanda ask me.
Well, if you really want to find wonderstones yourself, you’re really quite fortunate because Nevada is one of the places in the U.S. you actually can get some! The other American spot is Utah. Our little slice of heaven on earth produces the rainbow wonderstone we are collectively salivating over (Carlos, enough. The rock candy joke was barely funny the first time.) Utah has the picture wonderstone.
Other places outside of the U.S. to go visit for enhancing your collection include South Africa, Australia, India, Russia, Mexico, Argentina, China, and Brazil.
Conclusion
Whelp, I’ve taught you just about all I know concerning wonderstone! I hope you’ve enjoyed this field trip. Time for the pop quiz! Answer these right and you'll have passed my class. (Stay on the sidewalk side of the rock planters when you visit. You can park at the gas station across the street.)
1) What is the predominant color combination of the wonderstones presented here?
2) Are these rocks metamorphic or sedimentary?
3) From which U.S. state have these stones likely been collected?
4) Take a photo of yourself (or of your GPS) with the sign of the business that used these rocks and private message this photo and the answers for the above questions to me.
Remember no cheating! So don't go posting anything that would give the answers away. I'm a very strict schoolmaster.
Great job today! Now remember, take chances, make mistakes, and get messy! I know I will. Now excuse me as I go cruising on down Mainstreet, now that I’m all relaxed and feeling good…You know what? I make a great substitute! I think I will prepare a lesson on volcanos! What could go wrong?
"We've been sizzled!"
Haha. Very funny, Tim.