Ordinary-Looking Rocks Are Actually Hiding A Remarkable Secret Inside
We're so accustomed to seeing rocks everywhere we look that we often assume they're all pretty much the same. After all, what could be so interesting about a little stone lying on the ground, right? Yet, if we take a closer look, we can sometimes find they're more special than they initially let on.
Take opals, for instance. They might not look like much at first glance, what with their unsightly, craggy exterior, but it's their incredibly beautiful interior that makes them so desirable. Once you learn what makes them so special, you'll wish you had your own...
This might seem like an ordinary rock you would find in any park or back yard, but when you take a closer peek, its true nature begins to emerge. It's no ordinary stone—it's an opal! Though they're nothing special on the outside, their interior reveals wonders...
1. Opals are basically an optical illusion: When gazing at the beautiful interior of a refined opal, what you're looking at is essentially a naturally formed optical illusion. The reason is that light is actually unable to pass through the stone at all...
Instead, the light gets refracted by perfectly aligned tiny spheres of silica inside the gem. In turn, these spheres trick the human eye into seeing a bright spectrum of colors that change with every possible angle.
2. Opals are made from rain: While it's never been officially concluded one way or the other, many experts have long believed that opals form after rain seeps into the tiny pores of the rock! But that's not all...