<p>I decided to remove the tiles in my front courtyard and turn it into a garden of succulents.  After removing a couple of rows of tiles then digging into the soil, I started seeing a strange thick white clay like substance like melted marshmallows. I figured it was obviously clay.  But the deeper I dug, I started to see lots of very vivid colours: very dark red, almost purple, yellows, oranges greys, pinks, blood reds + some dark green. I know sandstones have all sorts of colours due to its make-up of quartz etc - but this was very different.</p>
<p>I started to think there was some sort of large animal buried there as that's what it looked like especially with all the reds and pinks and the white substance which there was loads of.</p>
<p>I kept seeing long stringy &quot;fibres&quot; thinking it was from a tarpaulin or plastic bag.  BUT.. no.  then I thought it was very fine roots from old plants. NO. there also appears to be 100s if not 1000s of tiny microscopic &quot;white worm&quot; things.</p>
<p>What could do this to sandstones or any rock? Turning big sandstones into a very thick stretchy heavy substance which is almost impossible to get off your shovel or gloves or any tool? And there's an enormous amount of this.</p>
<p>There's also a large number of tiny black things embedded into the gooey sandstone.</p>
<p>I am very concerned about what's happening.  I bought my place in June 2019. Moved in December 2019.  So been here just on a year.</p>
<p>I live very close to the city of Sydney. I don't think its the Rock Eating Worm/Shipworm- but I don't know.</p>
<p>Any help is greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Thank You</p>
<p>Miss Fifi Jones</p>
<p>***Shame you can't add a video.  that shows it all best.</p>
<p>Sandstone now marshmallow diff colours white soft + gooey:</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/ALMwS.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/ALMwS.jpg" alt="1" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/khPyh.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/khPyh.jpg" alt="2" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/fXOAg.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/fXOAg.jpg" alt="3" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/s0vUk.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/s0vUk.jpg" alt="4" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/qeudu.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/qeudu.jpg" alt="5" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/6SOCm.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/6SOCm.jpg" alt="6" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/M1kr9.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/M1kr9.jpg" alt="7" /></a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-16T20:10:32.317Z
what makes you think that is sandstone, nothing in that image looks like sandstone.
John
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-16T22:40:45.807Z
John.. Thanks for your comment.  I know it doesn't look like sandstone now.  But it was sandstone.    thats what it looks like now due to whatever it is turning it into what looks more lime a "trifle" - a type of dessert.  Ive pulled out sandstone rocks that are 1/2 sandstone and half what was sandstone.  I attached more fotos, but they didn't appear fr some reason.
Fifi
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-16T22:43:48.953Z
Is there a way to add more photos?  If so. please advise and I will.  Thank You
Fifi
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-17T01:55:43.530Z
To add pictures, select a place in your text, i.e. end, and then press the small picture icon at the top, which will bring up an upload dialogue. I can't see very much from that picture. no worms or colors or stringy gooey things. i can just see  small non-specific darker zone.
bandybabboon
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-17T06:39:32.273Z
Yes, more pictures would probably help get good answers.  aliential gave good information, the one thing they skimmed past is the start\end, which might be unclear for newer users like yourself.  To start adding\changes, you'd need to click edit (just below your question).  And then when done, scroll to the bottom of the page and click save edits.  :-)
JeopardyTempest
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-18T06:14:23.230Z
Thank you Aliential + Jeopardy Tempest for your help. 
I greatly appreciate it as a Newbie.  will see how I go.
Fifi
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-19T00:58:44.877Z
slightly related: [What kind of rock is this being eaten by a rock-eating worm?](https://earthscience.stackexchange.com/q/17221/6031) perhaps it was eaten in the distant past?
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-19T10:41:28.593Z
I seriously doubt you had sandstone to begin with. Sandstone has grains visible to the unaided eye. It looks like there is a lot of clay & I'm not aware of anything that turns sand or sandstone into clay. Clay has a different structure, grainsize & mineral composition to sandstone. Also, the "worms" or fibers in the bottom left of the 4th last photo looks like unraveled twine or rope emerging from a cylindrical conduit. I'm wondering if that's insulation from a very old electrical cable - pre the use of plastic for insulation of electrical cables. I'd advise getting a geologist to inspect.
Fred
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-19T13:48:03.943Z
Puzzling. Some additional info would help, such as the location (city/community) to understand local geology, some photos showing everything in a context (to get a sense of scale and possible stratigraphy in the ground) and maybe a link to your video that you can post elsewhere. Also possibly an acid test (see [Acid test](https://geology.com/minerals/acid-test.shtml))
Peter Jansson
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-20T17:06:10.357Z
Components of your stone may be [weathering into clay minerals](https://www.tulane.edu/~sanelson/eens211/weathering&clayminerals.html). Kaolinite is a possibility since it is white.
Spencer
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-21T01:55:57.750Z
Thank You all for you're comments.  How/who do I contact to come have a look at it.  The pics dont show it in its true form/colour.  Its sandstone because there are pieces of it still in original form.  Perhaps its Shipworm.   I live in Sydney in an apart building.  The entire building was wrapped in scaffolding + blue netting Feb to Oct - 9 months.  Heaven knows what the constant jack hammering couldve disturbed.  Ive seen all sorts of things growing out of nowhere on walls, ceilings, in the grout of my courtyard tiles- which is being eaten away in front of my eyes.
Fifi
<rocks>
What's eating this sandstone
Fifi
# What's eating this sandstone

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-12-16)

I decided to remove the tiles in my front courtyard and turn it into a garden of succulents. After removing a couple of rows of tiles then digging into the soil, I started seeing a strange thick white clay like substance like melted marshmallows. I figured it was obviously clay. But the deeper I dug, I started to see lots of very vivid colours: very dark red, almost purple, yellows, oranges greys, pinks, blood reds + some dark green. I know sandstones have all sorts of colours due to its make-up of quartz etc - but this was very different.

I started to think there was some sort of large animal buried there as that's what it looked like especially with all the reds and pinks and the white substance which there was loads of.

I kept seeing long stringy "fibres" thinking it was from a tarpaulin or plastic bag. BUT.. no. then I thought it was very fine roots from old plants. NO. there also appears to be 100s if not 1000s of tiny microscopic "white worm" things.

What could do this to sandstones or any rock? Turning big sandstones into a very thick stretchy heavy substance which is almost impossible to get off your shovel or gloves or any tool? And there's an enormous amount of this.

There's also a large number of tiny black things embedded into the gooey sandstone.

I am very concerned about what's happening. I bought my place in June 2019. Moved in December 2019. So been here just on a year.

I live very close to the city of Sydney. I don't think its the Rock Eating Worm/Shipworm- but I don't know.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thank You

Miss username_0 Jones

\*\*\*Shame you can't add a video. that shows it all best.

Sandstone now marshmallow diff colours white soft + gooey:

[![1](https://i.sstatic.net/ALMwS.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/ALMwS.jpg)

[![2](https://i.sstatic.net/khPyh.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/khPyh.jpg)

[![3](https://i.sstatic.net/fXOAg.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/fXOAg.jpg)

[![4](https://i.sstatic.net/s0vUk.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/s0vUk.jpg)

[![5](https://i.sstatic.net/qeudu.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/qeudu.jpg)

[![6](https://i.sstatic.net/6SOCm.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/6SOCm.jpg)

[![7](https://i.sstatic.net/M1kr9.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/M1kr9.jpg)

**Tags:** rocks

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: what makes you think that is sandstone, nothing in that image looks like sandstone.  
> **username_0**: username_1.. Thanks for your comment.  I know it doesn't look like sandstone now.  But it was sandstone.    thats what it looks like now due to whatever it is turning it into what looks more lime a "trifle" - a type of dessert.  Ive pulled out sandstone rocks that are 1/2 sandstone and half what was sandstone.  I attached more fotos, but they didn't appear fr some reason.  
> **username_0**: Is there a way to add more photos?  If so. please advise and I will.  Thank You  
> **username_2**: To add pictures, select a place in your text, i.e. end, and then press the small picture icon at the top, which will bring up an upload dialogue. I can't see very much from that picture. no worms or colors or stringy gooey things. i can just see  small non-specific darker zone.  
> **username_3**: Yes, more pictures would probably help get good answers.  aliential gave good information, the one thing they skimmed past is the start\end, which might be unclear for newer users like yourself.  To start adding\changes, you'd need to click edit (just below your question).  And then when done, scroll to the bottom of the page and click save edits.  :-)  
> **username_0**: Thank you Aliential + Jeopardy Tempest for your help.  I greatly appreciate it as a Newbie.  will see how I go.  
> **username_4**: slightly related: [What kind of rock is this being eaten by a rock-eating worm?](https://earthscience.stackexchange.com/q/17221/6031) perhaps it was eaten in the distant past?  
> **username_5**: I seriously doubt you had sandstone to begin with. Sandstone has grains visible to the unaided eye. It looks like there is a lot of clay & I'm not aware of anything that turns sand or sandstone into clay. Clay has a different structure, grainsize & mineral composition to sandstone. Also, the "worms" or fibers in the bottom left of the 4th last photo looks like unraveled twine or rope emerging from a cylindrical conduit. I'm wondering if that's insulation from a very old electrical cable - pre the use of plastic for insulation of electrical cables. I'd advise getting a geologist to inspect.  
> **username_6**: Puzzling. Some additional info would help, such as the location (city/community) to understand local geology, some photos showing everything in a context (to get a sense of scale and possible stratigraphy in the ground) and maybe a link to your video that you can post elsewhere. Also possibly an acid test (see [Acid test](https://geology.com/minerals/acid-test.shtml))  
> **username_7**: Components of your stone may be [weathering into clay minerals](https://www.tulane.edu/~sanelson/eens211/weathering&clayminerals.html). Kaolinite is a possibility since it is white.  
> **username_0**: Thank You all for you're comments.  How/who do I contact to come have a look at it.  The pics dont show it in its true form/colour.  Its sandstone because there are pieces of it still in original form.  Perhaps its Shipworm.   I live in Sydney in an apart building.  The entire building was wrapped in scaffolding + blue netting Feb to Oct - 9 months.  Heaven knows what the constant jack hammering couldve disturbed.  Ive seen all sorts of things growing out of nowhere on walls, ceilings, in the grout of my courtyard tiles- which is being eaten away in front of my eyes.  

---

## 0 answers

