Liesegang Banding in Southern Illinois

This is my Happy New Year post and to celebrate 2019, I went on a hike at Giant City State Park.  I covered some new terrain thanks to a friend and we came across the most spectacular displays of Liesegang Banding on the sandstone cliffs that I have ever seen. 

Liesegang Banding

Liesegang Banding

Liesegang Banding

Liesegang Banding is a term that describes precipitates forming rings in sedimentary rock and it was named after German Chemist Raphael E. Liesegang in 1896. 

Liesegang Banding

This one looks like a cookie cutter!

In southern Illinois, the rings are formed by iron deposits in the sandstone.  When sand was being deposited in a shallow sea, iron was mixed in and solidified in between layers of sandstone.  The resulting iron bands are less erosive than sandstone so weathering exposes the iron and often in a way that is intricate.  Very interesting formations result and the colors are due to other minerals in the rock. 

Liesegang Banding

Liesegang Banding

Liesegang Banding

There are beautiful displays of Liesegang Banding across southern Illinois, but another location that has very artistic examples of Liesegang Banding is at Garden of the Gods.  I'll save that for another post.  Here is one more from Giant City State Park in Jackson County near Makanda, Illinois.

Liesegang Banding