Sandstone Concretion
September 15, 2005
Provided and copyright by: Patrick Young
Summary authors & editors: Patrick Young
The photo above shows a field of sandstone balls near Santa Elena Canyon, Big Bend National Park, Texas. An area of layered sandstone near the Rio Grande River has fractured into blocks, which have been eroded into round balls. The layering on all the blocks has the same orientation, indicating that the balls were formed in place. This sandstone layer can be seen at the base of the surrounding hills, and in the far background, Santa Elena Canyon can be identified, where the Rio Grande has cut through the massive limestone Mesa de Anguilla.
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