Litho-intelligence
If the headline “Stones Self-Organize into Circles” sounds too good to be true, that’s because it is. Nonetheless Scientific American couldn’t resist going with it, and I must say I’d find it difficult to pass up, too. I guess they can be forgiven for hinting at some sort of inherent organising priciple at work in stones when the truth seems to be that for stones, meteorology is destiny.
It sounds like the stuff of science fiction: stones arranging themselves into perfect circles or elaborate labyrinths. But the forces behind these mysterious patterns, which are commonly found in many polar and high alpine environments, are much more pedestrian–simple cyclic freezing and thawing of the surrounding ground. A numerical model that can account for the unusual patterns is described in the current issue of the journal Science.
•••
Posted to General Rants • 2003.01.20 (Mon) • 20:37
Comments
Post a comment:
Send This Story to an Enemy
• • •
