Fact Check: Trovant Stones in Romania Grow In Size After Getting Wet In Rain
A few images of huge spherical stones are shared on Twitter, and Facebook along with a claim that they show stones called Trovants,
Trovants
A few images of huge spherical stones are shared on Twitter, and Facebook along with a claim that they show stones called Trovants, which are not regular stones but are living stones that grow.
The claim shared goes: “These mysterious stones in Romania called 'trovants' grow, move, and even breed. After every heavy rain shower, they absorb the rain's minerals, which then mix with the chemicals already present in the rock, creating a reaction and pressure inside - ultimately making the stone grow and multiply.”
Some Facebook users also shared the images with the caption: “Have you ever heard of the mysterious stones in Romania that can grow, move, and even breed? These stones, called "trovants", absorb minerals from rainwater and mix them with chemicals in the rock to create a reaction and pressure that causes them to multiply in size. And if that's not amazing enough, these stones can also move and breed! “
Fact Check:
The claim that these stones grow is True. These stones are called Trovants and after a heavy rain, these stones develop small stone forms on them and increase in size, which means they grow.
When we searched using the keywords ‘Trovants the growing stones’, we found a few results that confirm that these stones are found in Romania.
According to Sciencetimes.com, Romania is the only place Trovants, made up of a hard stone heart and a sand-made shell, and the strangest stones on earth can be found. They consume materials from the storm, which are then integrated with the chemicals in stones.
The trovant stones are under pressure as an outcome of the entire process and start growing in scale. It also multiplies as an outcome of this unusual occurrence.
According to geology.in, these Trovants of Romania are an amazing geological phenomenon, found in a small village named Costesti. Trovants is a synonym for the German term “Sandsteinkonkretionen“, which means Cemented Sand. They are believed to be a type of sandstone concretion that secrete cement and can appear to grow at times, as if they are alive.
These fascinating ‘living stones’ are thought to consist of a stone core with an outer shell of sand, and after a heavy rain small stone forms are said to appear on the rocks leading them to be dubbed as the “growing stones”. What’s more interesting is the fact that these Trovants when cut had spherical and ellipsoidal rings similar to the ones of a tree trunk.
According to science.howstuffworks.com, Trovants are almost exclusively found in Romania's Valcea County at the sand quarry near the Costesti village, along the Gresarea Brook, or in the neighbouring Otesani village. To protect these unusual geological specimens, the “Muzeul Trovantilor” or Trovants Museum Natural Reserve, was developed in Valcea County, Romania, in 2004, and is now protected by UNESCO.
Researchers are still not sure of the composition of these stones and why they grow. But the claim that these stones can grow is True.