Mysterious 'living' stones that grow and move

22Oct,2023

Known in Romania as “Trovants” are of a type of sandstone concretion that secrete cement and can at times appear to grow as if alive.

Trovants

Consisting of a stone core with an outer shell of sand, after a heavy rain small forms are said to appear on the rocks leading them to be dubbed the “growing stones” by locals.

Growing Stones

Trovants when cut had spherical and ellipsoidal rings similar to the ones of a tree trunk. 

Rings like trees

According to International Geological Congress conducted in Oslo 2008, these “Trovanti” were improperly considered as “sandstone concretions”. 

sandstone concretions

There was no mineralogical difference between these pseudoconcretions and the surrounding sands, with no distinct nucleus inside them, and their cement is often carbonate-type.

Pseudoconcretions

The perfect spherical shaped Trovants which sometimes can be found are believed to be because of great magnitudes and durations of the paleoearthquakes.

Paleoearthquakes