Panorama of the Orbicular Granite Sanctuary near Caldera Chile
by James Brunker
Title
Panorama of the Orbicular Granite Sanctuary near Caldera Chile
Artist
James Brunker
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
A view of one of the large boulders of orbicular granite at the Orbicular Granite Natural Sanctuary / Santuario de la Naturaleza not far from Caldera on the coast of Chile's Region III de Atacama. The beach in the distance is Playa Rodillo. Orbicular granite is a rare type of intrusive igenous rock formation, the circular / spherical structures or orbicules were probably formed through nucleation around a grain in a cooling magma chamber due to rapid physical changes. This boulder clearly shows the zone of comb layering between the tonalite country rock / bedrock and the granitic intrusion. Such orbicular granite formations are only found in a limited number of locations on Earth; this is one of 3 known so far in Chile.
Photograph © James Brunker. Reproduction, publication, transmission or use in any form without written permission prohibited.
Uploaded
July 24th, 2023
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