Peridotite makes up a large part of the Earth, but it's very seldom seen because it lies in the mantle, underneath the crust. It took a rare combination of tectonic and geologic activity to get this piece of deep lithosphere across the ocean floor, plaster it against the continent, carry it down into a subduction zone and back up again, then gently release it to the rough hands of the Pacific surf, which are quickly battering it into sand to be altered to clay. I snapped a photo during its infinitesimally brief time in the California sun to add to the Rock Picture Gallery.Peridotite — Geology Guide photo
Comments
Peridotite is, by far, one of my favourite rocks. I won’t consider my rock collection complete until I have a nice, polished chunk of it. Chunk being the SI unit for a decent sized sample.
Have you heard about peridotite and its possible uses for capturing and storing carbon. What do you think of this idea? Is peridotite accessible?
I think it’s a nonstarter. Peridotite is not a conveniently located rock, and the places it does exist in quantity are far from coal-fired power plants that could use it.