Back to the Variolites

Variolites, Olympic Peninsula, WA

I was back on the Elwha River again yesterday, documenting the amazing restoration project underway there after the removal of two old, salmon-proof dams.

(To learn more, go to:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elwha_Ecosystem_Restoration)

In the meantime, however, I always had an eye out for one of my favorite rocks - the Variolite, a rare altered basalt associated with the Crescent Formation.

This is not a lapidary stone - it does not take a good polish, but it is rare and unusual enough, that I collect them whenever I see them. In France, they are considered medicinal and just quite possibly spiritual. Who knew?