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22nd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
Star Affirmations. Utrish

The frame shows the Black Sea and a river called Sukko. The mineral stone is argillite. Argillite is a mass of clay that has hardened as a result of millions of years of mineralization. White veins formed when the hardening clay cracked under pressure. It cracked in a shape resembling a star. Over time, water washed quartz and mica minerals into the cracked cavities. They also hardened later. The entire mass ended up in the sea as a result of a landslide. Over time, the edges of the stone were smoothed by the surf. A storm threw the stone onto the shore.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 03.2024
Date Uploaded: 11.2024
Photo Location: Anapa, Russia
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Copyright: © Eugene Veijas