Toy car rocks million-year belief

by Tas Walker

Sandstone is just grains of sand held together by cement—in this case by the mineral called calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ).

When you stroll along the beach you are walking on rocks that are millions of years old—right?

That’s the impression we get from TV and newspapers, and they seem to vie for the oldest date—in millions of years of course.

But Chris and Sandra Barnes were in for a shock as they walked along the beach near their home in Brisbane, Australia.

One particular rock on the shore at Victoria Point just looked like any other rounded piece of ordinary sandstone. But when they kicked it over, it exposed a child’s toy encased inside.

What a surprise!

It looks like an ordinary piece of sandstone rounded smooth over millions of years. But presto—underneath it contains a modern toy car.

Inside the rock, previously hidden from their view, was a miniature toy car. It had an ivory-coloured body, little black tyres and a yellow plastic cover. Some of the inside workings of the toy were also visible.

Clearly the rock was not millions of years old. It could only have been 10 or 20 years at the most. Yet it ‘looked’ old.

Rocks don’t need millions of years to form—they just need suitable conditions.