I tried posting this on Strange Things---Outdoors but it didn't post so will try this forum.
Back about 1970 or 1971 I was on a fire crew on the Clearwater Natl. Forest, Canyon Ranger District on the North Fork of the Clearwater River in central Idaho. We were on a fire and had a large hemlock tree which had pretty well burned over a period of several days. This was in the days before infared and other technological advances so sometimes fires would go undetected for many days.
We discovered a number of formations, very similar to clinkers from a coal furnace, but mulitcolored, blue, green, and red. These were quite porous and like course pumis stone. These were in an area which had burned several days previously and was by then cold.
We took some of these back to the station, and either an arborist or a geologist there told us that these had been formed by the heat of the fire. They in fact were minerals within the tree itself which had solidified and formed these unique stones.
After several days these stones disintegrated and basically became dust. Apparently exposure to the air, etc. caused them to come apart.
I have never seen this before or since. This was at high altitude, and the trees were western hemlock, Tsuga heterophila I believe.
Any input on this from your readers? It was an interesting find.
Jack
