The colorful pebbles on the west coast of New Zealand’s South Island are well rounded by the surf. They mirror the geological processes that created the glaciated peaks of the Southern Alps 25 million years ago. However, the adventurous geological past of these rocks reaches far beyond this period. It can be traced back to the age of the Devonian 390 million years ago and leads us to the northeast of today’s Australia, which at that time was part of the southern continent of Gondwana.
Change is the only constant on our planet. The rocks of our planet carry the memory of these changes within them. Deciphering these stories written in the rocks is one of the most fascinating scientific adventures of our time. In the early days of human existence, hunters and gatherers perceived an individual soul and its story in each and every animal, plant and stone. If we listen and sense carefully, we can hear and feel the whispering of the rocks.
