#i do know aspen groves are a single organism with clonal shoots though? that’s a tree fact

[raskies456]

So researchers recently found out that one of the secrets of Roman concrete that makes it so incredibly durable is the presence of lime clasts, which are little chunks of lime (a family of Calcium Oxide/Hydroxide minerals). People used to dismiss the clasts as a defect, since lime is pretty fragile and reacts with water.

However, that turned out to be the point. When looking at the lime clasts’ microscopic features, they realized that the clasts would have to have formed under high heat, and were specifically made out of quicklime (CaO) which is more reactive. The heat allowed the quicklime clasts to take on specific properties, including being extremely brittle, and this seemed to be purposeful.

But why would they want extra brittle and reactive lime clasts in the concrete? It turns out the clasts are what give Roman concrete the ability to self repair, sealing up minor cracks when they form. When the concrete cracks, it will crack through the lime clasts, because the lime is far more brittle than the rest of the concrete. Then, when water flows into the cracks, it starts to dissolve the lime before eventually crystalizing as calcium carbonate inside the cracks. This seals the cracks automatically!

If you want to know more, this is a good article on the research and how they tested and figured this out!

i dont care about the movies. or the shows. i dont see or look at tem. Can we talk about something else like the trees or concrete mixing methods