AusBonsai

Hi all

I collected this folded chert from the Pilbara in WA when on a field trip during my uni days. We went on a field trip to the West Angeles region of the Pilbara mapping the geology and I came across this rock...lugged it back to camp and have had it ever since. Its been sitting in the garden since then.

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone on this forum had any ideas about what to do with it. Could you do a root-over-rock or something clever? Keep in mind that this is chert, which is effectively very fine-grained silica and incredibly hard.

Cheers
JPG

Hi JPG,

Rocks are one of the many things I don't know anything about but that is really nice.

Looks a bit like petrified wood.

Thanks for showing.

Rudy

Hi Rudy

It's definitely not petrified wood. It comes from one of the banded iron formations (often just called BIF) in the Pilbara. A BIF is generally just a layered sedimentary rock of alternating bands of chert (basically pure silica), shales and iron oxides. The shale layers weather out near the surface and you get left with the hard resistant chert layers. Where this specimen came from the iron content was very low so not much iron oxide layers.

In case you hadn't guessed, I'm a geologist.

If I was going to attempt a root-over-rock style (or similar), how would you attach the tree to the rock? Or am I just dreaming and should just leave it as a nice garden ornament.

Hi JPG,

If this rock has some sentiment attached to it, which to hazzard a guess it does, rather than try to find a tree to compliment it, perhaps all thats needed is a Daiza to compliment the stone in its purest form. I know nothing about suiseki but it could be a great starting point to get into, especially with your background of being a Geologist.

Cheers

David

Kind of agree with David, I like it on its own, would make a nice suiseki!

This is a very helpful tutorial on how to make a daiza for it if you are keen

http://sa.ausbonsai.com/daiza.htm

I keep asking my GF if we can go out looking for rocks... but she just doesn't seem interested she thinks rocks are boring

Haha, every rock is sentimental to a geo!!

JPG wrote:Haha, every rock is sentimental to a geo!!

Especially the ones containing Au!

I would keep it as a suiseki, it does not need a tree to improve it. It already shows that it is a piece of the Pilbarra.

Ash

What a beautiful rock
make a Daiza and display it like it is

Ken

Seems like the consensus is to pretty much leave it as is. We are moving house shortly so I'll have to find a nice spot for it in the garden.

Seems like the consensus is to pretty much leave it as is. We are moving house shortly so I'll have to find a nice spot for it in the garden.

Strongly agree with this. It will make a much better viewing stone (suiseki) and should be displayed as such rather than covered with roots and/or soil. Next time pick up a bit that is not quite so interesting if you want to do root over rock. If the rock is too good, the audience will be looking at it instead of the bonsai. The aim is to have the rock or pot enhance your tree, not to dominate it.

I was interested to see that you had described the rock as having top, bottom etc, which tells me that you had decided on a viewing position.
I believe that if you stand the rock vertically, that it would give a far more interesting perspective.
As aforementioned, the use of a daiza would enable you to stand the rock at the position of your choice.