Desert varnish or rock varnish is an orange-yellow to black coating found on exposed rock surfaces in arid environments. Desert varnish is usually around one micron thick and present nanometre-scale layering. Rock rust and desert patina are other terms which are also used for the condition, but less often.
Read more about Desert Varnish: Formation, Composition
Famous quotes containing the words desert and/or varnish:
“Only the desert has a fascination—to ride alone—in the sun in the forever unpossessed country—away from man. That is a great temptation.”
—D.H. (David Herbert)
“People are less self-conscious in the intimacy of family life and during the anxiety of a great sorrow. The dazzling varnish of an extreme politeness is then less in evidence, and the true qualities of the heart regain their proper proportions.”
—Stendhal [Marie Henri Beyle] (1783–1842)