Some of the ancient forests in places like Shilin, China, are unique not for their trees, but their rock formations. Researchers, long fascinated by the natural phenomenon, recently looked into how these structures are formed.
Professor Michael Shelley, from the Courant Institute, shared that the research also explains why karst topography is not only composed of soluble rocks, but also pinnacles that are sharp and pointed.
At the university's Applied Mathematics Lab, combining a mathematical model, automated simulations, and a block of solid candy displayed how dissolving rocks created flows and reshaped the formations.
The sugar-based candy has pores that are reshaped into pointed spikes after being dissolved. The team found it interesting that they did not have to design the flow of water since the dissolution process naturally has flow patterns that produces spikes.
In the same way, karst rocks dissolve, but a lot slower during the time that minerals are submerged underwater. When the water recedes, it results in stone forests and rock pinnacles.
READ: How the Heavy Rains of Hurricane Maria Shattered the Forests of Puerto Rico
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