Smithsonian magazine's 22nd Annual Photo Contest | Made possible through the support of MPB.com

22nd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
Wine and Crystal

The title of the photo is "Wine and Crystal". The Black Sea is in the frame. A piece of rock is a mineral - 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. Over time, water washed minerals - quartz, mica - between the layers. 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. I was walking along the seashore and saw this charming work of nature, shaped like a heart.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 01.2024
Date Uploaded: 11.2024
Photo Location: Anapa, Russia
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Copyright: © Eugene Veijas