<p><strong>You have two options ice segregation/frost heaving or humans screwing around</strong>. </p>

<p>Frost heave can produce some really unusual yet regular shapes, spirals included. 
Frost heave and ice segregation is when freezing ground water pushes more on larger rocks sorting them out of finer material. </p>

<p>Humans messing around can leave spirals intentionally (crop circles, environmental artists) or unintentionally (tethered animals, cropmarks, storing large diameter hose). Given it is a quarry it would not surprise at all if a rolled up air or suction hose was sitting there long enough to alter the sediment or vegetation and we are seeing the marks left over after it was moved. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-29T20:31:02.793Z
As i have taken this photos in Israel, i don't think that ice is really an option here ;)
Alexander
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-30T01:59:48.480Z
It snows in israel, therefore it gets cold enough.
John
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-30T07:32:30.213Z
well it snows only in some relatively small areas, and it is really rare. Anyway the place the photos have been taken, it does not snow ever.
Alexander
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-30T14:17:02.653Z
Then you should give a location more precise than "Israel". If so then you are left with human activity.
John
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-31T02:39:33.643Z
Do you have any examples of spirals generated by frost heave?
user2821
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-31T12:27:55.473Z
A rolled hose is a very plausible suggestion.
user2821
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-29T17:14:40.107Z
2017-10-30T14:34:21.697Z
2017-10-30T14:34:21.697Z
John
<p>Given that it's a quarry then at a guess the grass is growing over areas that are cut into the bedrock more deeply than the non-grassed areas, this means that there is a trench that holds a little more soil and water than the relatively bare rock outside of the cuts like a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cropmark" rel="nofollow noreferrer">cropmark</a> but smaller and more extreme.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-04T19:09:41.873Z
That's a good thought, but why would anybody cut a quarry in a circular pattern?
userLTK
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-06T09:57:29.647Z
@userLTK I figured it was the turning footprint of a tracked vehicle of some sort, the tracks would cut shallow gouges into the rock every time the vehicle made the turn.
Ash
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-29T16:26:40.327Z
2017-10-29T16:26:40.327Z
Ash
<p>During a nature walk inside an old abandoned quarry I stumbled upon strange spirals that appear to be naturally formed. </p>

<p>What could cause this spiral formation? Is it a known phenomena?</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/FGPdH.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/FGPdH.jpg" alt="Earth spiral 1"></a></p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/WjLte.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/WjLte.jpg" alt="Earth spiral 2"></a></p>

<p>To clarify , the images are from the same place , but made with difference of couple of days. I took the photos during Winter time in Israel.<br>
The Quarry was abandoned decades ago, so i don't think that this is a result of the working equipment.</p>

<p>Also i have been looking at photos of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crop_circle" rel="nofollow noreferrer">crop circles</a> but it looks like the two are not related.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-26T21:19:41.407Z
Welcome to EarthScience.SE! I am not sure whether this question is actually in the scope of Earth Science. It might fit better to Biology.SE?
daniel.heydebreck
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-26T21:31:57.083Z
@daniel.neumann There are geological features which can control vegetation growth patterns on the surface, so I think it's plausibly in scope. Hard to tell before we actually know the answer, of course :).
Pont
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-27T00:53:35.680Z
Had trouble telling, are these indeed pictures of two separate occurrences?  Seems some of the features somewhat lineup, but tough to be certain they're the same.  You used the wording "a spirals", which could go either way.  If they are two separate occurrences, interesting how the path cuts through both at about the same relative location.  Important?
JeopardyTempest
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-27T10:03:59.597Z
I agree with @Pont that this question is in scope.
gerrit
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-28T00:04:31.023Z
What was being quarried?  I suspect this was produced by equipment while the quarry was still active.
Spencer
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-29T18:51:34.383Z
Anything about the kind of quarry? That or its name may give us clues about the way material was dug/brought out. You are also not telling us what part of the quarry you took these photos. Please [edit] your question.
Jan Doggen
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-29T20:24:14.173Z
[Dod Law Quarry Site - Bronze Age Carved Rock](http://www.stone-circles.org.uk/stone/dodlawquarry.htm)
Keith McClary
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-29T21:14:38.070Z
Maybe it used to be a pole in the center and a goat tied to a rope. As the goat is grazing around the pole it's winded up and get shorter. If the goat is often tied to the same place it might stick to the same spiral path? (Or some similar process, maybe a dog with a chain scratching the ground or something that is tied to a pole but blow around in the wind.)
user2821
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-30T01:02:18.250Z
Would be pleased to see more pictures of the wider area and/or info on what kind of quarry/where you were too.  Also interested... are they actually spirals, or concentric circles?  Hard to be sure.
JeopardyTempest
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-30T07:34:46.127Z
The Quarry is very old , looks like it was abandoned 20 ~ 30 years ago maybe more, i guess they where quarrying rocks . I will try to get to the place and take larger images of the area.
Alexander
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-02T18:51:33.137Z
It's interesting, and if you have time to make quadrants with squares of string and to draw the exact pattern on paper, you could measure it and have a better chance of finding the cause.
bandybabboon
<geomorphology><vegetation>
Natural spiral pattern of grass - what could cause this?
Alexander
# Natural spiral pattern of grass - what could cause this?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-10-26)

During a nature walk inside an old abandoned quarry I stumbled upon strange spirals that appear to be naturally formed.

What could cause this spiral formation? Is it a known phenomena?

[![Earth spiral 1](https://i.sstatic.net/FGPdH.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/FGPdH.jpg)

[![Earth spiral 2](https://i.sstatic.net/WjLte.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/WjLte.jpg)

To clarify , the images are from the same place , but made with difference of couple of days. I took the photos during Winter time in Israel.  
The Quarry was abandoned decades ago, so i don't think that this is a result of the working equipment.

Also i have been looking at photos of [crop circles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crop_circle) but it looks like the two are not related.

**Tags:** geomorphology, vegetation

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Welcome to EarthScience.SE! I am not sure whether this question is actually in the scope of Earth Science. It might fit better to Biology.SE?  
> **username_2**: @daniel.neumann There are geological features which can control vegetation growth patterns on the surface, so I think it's plausibly in scope. Hard to tell before we actually know the answer, of course :).  
> **username_3**: Had trouble telling, are these indeed pictures of two separate occurrences?  Seems some of the features somewhat lineup, but tough to be certain they're the same.  You used the wording "a spirals", which could go either way.  If they are two separate occurrences, interesting how the path cuts through both at about the same relative location.  Important?  
> **username_4**: I agree with @username_2 that this question is in scope.  
> **username_5**: What was being quarried?  I suspect this was produced by equipment while the quarry was still active.  
> **username_6**: Anything about the kind of quarry? That or its name may give us clues about the way material was dug/brought out. You are also not telling us what part of the quarry you took these photos. Please [edit] your question.  
> **username_7**: [Dod Law Quarry Site - Bronze Age Carved Rock](http://www.stone-circles.org.uk/stone/dodlawquarry.htm)  
> **username_8**: Maybe it used to be a pole in the center and a goat tied to a rope. As the goat is grazing around the pole it's winded up and get shorter. If the goat is often tied to the same place it might stick to the same spiral path? (Or some similar process, maybe a dog with a chain scratching the ground or something that is tied to a pole but blow around in the wind.)  
> **username_3**: Would be pleased to see more pictures of the wider area and/or info on what kind of quarry/where you were too.  Also interested... are they actually spirals, or concentric circles?  Hard to be sure.  
> **username_0**: The Quarry is very old , looks like it was abandoned 20 ~ 30 years ago maybe more, i guess they where quarrying rocks . I will try to get to the place and take larger images of the area.  
> **username_9**: It's interesting, and if you have time to make quadrants with squares of string and to draw the exact pattern on paper, you could measure it and have a better chance of finding the cause.  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_10 on 2017-10-29. Score: 3

**You have two options ice segregation/frost heaving or humans screwing around**.

Frost heave can produce some really unusual yet regular shapes, spirals included.
Frost heave and ice segregation is when freezing ground water pushes more on larger rocks sorting them out of finer material.

Humans messing around can leave spirals intentionally (crop circles, environmental artists) or unintentionally (tethered animals, cropmarks, storing large diameter hose). Given it is a quarry it would not surprise at all if a rolled up air or suction hose was sitting there long enough to alter the sediment or vegetation and we are seeing the marks left over after it was moved.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: As i have taken this photos in Israel, i don't think that ice is really an option here ;)  
> **username_10**: It snows in israel, therefore it gets cold enough.  
> **username_0**: well it snows only in some relatively small areas, and it is really rare. Anyway the place the photos have been taken, it does not snow ever.  
> **username_10**: Then you should give a location more precise than "Israel". If so then you are left with human activity.  
> **username_8**: Do you have any examples of spirals generated by frost heave?  
> **username_8**: A rolled hose is a very plausible suggestion.  

---

### Answer by username_11 on 2017-10-29. Score: 2

Given that it's a quarry then at a guess the grass is growing over areas that are cut into the bedrock more deeply than the non-grassed areas, this means that there is a trench that holds a little more soil and water than the relatively bare rock outside of the cuts like a [cropmark](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cropmark) but smaller and more extreme.

> **Comments:**
> **username_12**: That's a good thought, but why would anybody cut a quarry in a circular pattern?  
> **username_11**: @username_12 I figured it was the turning footprint of a tracked vehicle of some sort, the tracks would cut shallow gouges into the rock every time the vehicle made the turn.  

---

