Conglomerate is the natural geological presentation of concrete. Long before we figured out how to mix cement with gravel, nature was doing much the same thing. Rivers rounded stones into smooth pebbles, layers of sediment buried them, and mineral-rich groundwater slowly cemented everything together into solid rock. The process took thousands to millions of years rather than an afternoon with a concrete truck and an ample supply of beer, but the result is surprisingly familiar.
One
of the first "keeper" rocks in my collection is a time-worn
conglomerate specimen I collected no more than 100 yards from the spot where my
house presently stands.
I
was 6 or 7 years old the day I found this treasure. Honestly, it still ranks as
one of the most thrilling finds of my life. I gasped when I first spotted the
rock amid a few nondescript stones. It was a perfect representation of nature's
concrete and an ancient story told in stone.
"Look
at this!" I said after trotting back to find my father and show him my
discovery.
Though
I proved a disappointment to my father when I revealed a propensity to pick up
random stones rather than a baseball, he did his best to share my enthusiasm.
The
conglomerate specimen has been on display on a shelf somewhere near me ever
since. Every time I pick up the stone, I feel a certain earthy energy in the
weight of it. It is of immeasurable value to me.
The
photograph below is that very rock.
—Mitchell
Hegman
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