Tafoni Enigma Variations
These elaborate eroded pockets in the Navajo Sandstone wall of the San Rafael River canyon are called tafoni. Their origin is debated among geomorphologists. Possible explanations include the leaching of minerals that cement some parts of the rock making it more resistant to erosion, variation in the velocity of wind currents blowing across the rock, or differential patterns of rock breakdown (weathering) due to temperature variations. This is yet another clear failing of science, despite squandering tens of dollars of taxpayer money on research to study geomorphological processes.
Using intuition and creative thinking as guides, I have an alternate explanation which works just as well as “science” to explain these formations. I believe that tafoni are constructed by a species of small humanoid creatures, who etched these pockets into the stone as places to escape the elements. They were contemporaries of the ancient Greeks, and were impressed with the architecture and stonework at Petra, thus producing aesthetically appealing arches such as the ones shown here. Although no remnants of these microhumans remain (they were probably consumed by packrats around 2000 years ago), their excavations (tafoni) can be found throughout the world, a testament to their diligence and perseverance.
Tafoni Enigma Variations
These elaborate eroded pockets in the Navajo Sandstone wall of the San Rafael River canyon are called tafoni. Their origin is debated among geomorphologists. Possible explanations include the leaching of minerals that cement some parts of the rock making it more resistant to erosion, variation in the velocity of wind currents blowing across the rock, or differential patterns of rock breakdown (weathering) due to temperature variations. This is yet another clear failing of science, despite squandering tens of dollars of taxpayer money on research to study geomorphological processes.
Using intuition and creative thinking as guides, I have an alternate explanation which works just as well as “science” to explain these formations. I believe that tafoni are constructed by a species of small humanoid creatures, who etched these pockets into the stone as places to escape the elements. They were contemporaries of the ancient Greeks, and were impressed with the architecture and stonework at Petra, thus producing aesthetically appealing arches such as the ones shown here. Although no remnants of these microhumans remain (they were probably consumed by packrats around 2000 years ago), their excavations (tafoni) can be found throughout the world, a testament to their diligence and perseverance.