<HTML>Ancient geopolyermist? The same way they seemed to replicate many other holocrystalline rocks... I would assume by cementing each grain together with a perfect fit like some giant 10^9 piece 3D jigsaw puzzle. This is just speculation, since I do not think Miss Morris has explained how holocrystalline igneous, metamorphic, and gangue mineralization are replicated yet. I ask recently but she has yet to reply...
Davidovitus and Morris (1988) claimed the AE were carving "alabaster" vases with acid... so I assume that they considered that travertine was natural and not synthetic, otherwise they would claim the need of a spatula.
The layering forms by precipitation of calcite on the walls of a cavity (i.e. vug (cave) or vein) by solutions that pass through the rock. The calcite is slowly deposited on the walls of the cavity until it is filled in or the solutions stop flowing over the surface. The layering represents changes in solution chemistry and temperature/pressure conditions over time. Quite typical of gangue mineralization...
Archae Solenhofen (solenhofen@hotmail.com)</HTML>
