how was flint stone formed???

[laptopsteve]

how was flint stone formed if it was a moulten rock (as in lava) what happened to the worlds atmosphere to make it hot enough for it to get so hot to form flint and what made the earth cool down to the climte now rememering that then there was no pollution like cars or even us to cause global warming ??

[gen2]

Flint was never a molten rock. Flint is part of a sedimentary rock such as chalk or limestone and was laid down in warm seas millions of years ago - in the case of chalk around 60 - 120 million years ago. The chalk is calcium carbonate and is largely the deposits of the chalk (CaCO3) skeletons of microscopic organisms called foraminifera. Other microscopic organisms called diatoms contained silica (SiO2). Sponges in the sea floor also included silica in their structure.

Over millions of years, and due to groundwater, the silica molecules have come together as concretions - often around a fossil sponge skeleton. This is similar to the way in which crystals grow but in this case the structure is crypto-crystalline. True crystals fracture along cleavage planes but flint has a characteristic conchoidal fracture.

[laptopsteve]

great answer thanks!!

[Hymie]

I thought it was fossilised dinosaur sh!t - but I could be wrong.

[New Judge]

I thought it was produced by Hanna-Barbera productions. You must remember - Fred, Wilma, Pebbles & Dino, Barney & Betty Rubble. Happy days! (No, don't start on about the Fonz!!))

[cove]

I will get back to you, i'm waiting for a call from God who is suppose to give me the answer.

lol @ New Judge.

[Hymie]

What do you want me to call you for - I've already given you the answer.

[rov1200]

I just caught glances of 'Coast' on BBC TV tonight. They showed a cliff face which has recently been exposed. In it you can see either pebbles or even granite chips poking out.

[gen2]

Granite chips unlikely unless cliff face created by 'Groundforce'.

[rcl1]

Judge you beat me to it, was just gonna post a similar response. Lol!