A Valentine's Day Rock: Heartstones

A heartstone is a heart-shaped rock. Many different types of rocks can be heartstones; all that matters is the shape. Many heartstones form naturally through tricks of weathering; others are artificially chiseled and polished into a heart shape.

I  often look for heartstones when walking-- along a beach, a woodland path, or even a driveway. Whenever I find a heartstone, I think fondly of a bookstore called "Heartstone Books" that I used to visit in Putney, Vermont. Long before I ever studied geology in a formal manner, I used to enjoy looking at this bookstore's collection of heartstone rocks and was amazed at how many different types of rocks-- different colors and textures and sizes-- could become heartstones.

I am currently traveling and cannot take photos of my own heartstones, so below are a few heartstone pictures that I've scavenged from the interwebs.

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

Here are some more holiday rocks, in case you missed them:

A Birthday Rock: Peridotite

A New Year's Day Rock: Travertine Icings and Scums

A Christmas Rock: Fossiliferous Coal

A Thanksgiving Rock: Granodiorite

Hearstone 1. Image taken from here.