The Natural History of Rocks

Where to start?

In the beginning there was void.
Scratch that.
In the beginning there was Null. Not nothing, not vacuum, not a dot. Neither an iota. Null, the concept that means the absence of data.
Or matter, for that is what we are concerned with when talking about rocks.
Null. Which, get this, exploded. Or expanded into Not Null. Whatever.

Time passed. Actually time came into existence and then started to pass.
There was void. And the void filled with Hydrogen. Out of which stars were born. they died in fantastic explosions. New stars were born out of the matter of dead stars and more Hydrogen. They created heavy elements in their core just like their predecessors did. Those stars died too.
Matter filled the void. Matter congealed into dust. Dust particles aggregated. Small clumps of dust joined together, seemingly by purpose, and clumped together to form grit.
Grit meets grit. Find warmth together. Largish grit attracts small grit. The first rock is born. proto-rock is here. It is but a vague shadow of what rocks will become 10 billion years down the line but the base is set.
Witness the rock!

A star factory as photographed by the Hubble space telescope.

Time passes.
There are no turtles here, but if there were they'd surely blink.
A fourth generation star is born. Around it large amounts of intergalactic debris and vapor swirl. Gravitational push and pull forces clumps of it together. The bigger the clump the larger it will become. Clumps swallow clumps. Protoplanets of like matter form. The star has contracted due to the vast amounts of material it has accumulated. It is shining with a blinding white light. It's radiation is immense.
Planets orbit around it wobbling in insanely unstable elliptical orbits. Planets collide. Seethe in turmoil. Volcano's, eruptions, cataclysm.
Witness the molten rock!

A solar flare as photographed by TRACE

Time passes.
The star has settled into a steady pattern. It's planets have calmed down. A large part of the third planet has been torn loose some time ago and has become a large moon orbiting the planet. Frequently the planets, moons and sun are bombarded by showers of rock. Meteors, asteroids. Pulled out of vast belts they hurtle through the solar system wreaking havoc, spreading grit.
Witness the rocks!

Ida and Dactyl, two asteroids, as photograped by the Gallileo probe.

Time passes.
The third planet has cooled down considerably. No longer the all surrounding fields of lava. "Dry" patches have appeared some time ago. Water has replaced sulphuric acid as rain and falls from the sky in vast amounts. This planet is hot!
But no as hot as before. In a pool of boiling hot water, in a shallow concave hollow in a newly formed basaltic rock, large organic molecules join in a strange dance.
But these are not the subject of this matter. Them thar rocks are.
Witness the rocks!

Lava flows into the sea.

Time passes.
We're 3.5 billion years in the past. Just brush of that flat organic substance, it matters not.
Variety upon variety of rock is present. Every conceivable form and shape of rock: basalt, granite, sandstone, gneiss, ….
Witness the rocks!

Time passes.
New families of rocks have formed. There are now rocks created by the descendands of the organic material. Who said they didn't matter. Shoot that man! Vast amounts of dead organic material have formed equally vast amounts of rock: limestone, marble, coal, ….
Witness the rocks!

Time passes.
The organic substance records the year 1975. Small rocks are packaged in cardboard boxes, bedded with straw. A manual is crafted and included. The package is shipped. Thousands of people find joy in their lives because of their new-found friend. Pet rock is born.

Time passes.
The pet rock has almost disappeared. Advancing technology has left the pet rock behind. It has no place in a fast-moving modern world. Virtual pet rock is born to fill the void.
The rock for people allergic to the outdoors.
The virtual pet for people who have difficulty keeping a real rock alive.
Witness the rock!

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