BIG BEND, TEXAS

Weathering may cause certain rock constituents to dissolve. Groundwater may then transport the dissolved materials to another part of the rock where they may be precipitated. Here, iron oxide has been leached from rock immediately adjacent to fractures, leaving the rock white, and then redeposited and concentrated slightly further away, deepening the rock's reddish purple color.


© 2001
Photo by David J. Leveson