Dropstones

Dropstones are a common feature of Tasmanian Permian rocks. They are rocks and pebbles that were scoured off the ancient land surface by glaciers.  Sometimes rounded, sometimes sharply angled and made up of all different sizes and type of rock they were trapped in ice and carried along in a moving glacier. When the glacier reached the sea and broke up, they were rafted away inside floating pieces of ice, eventually falling to the sea floor as the ice wore away or melted.  Dropstones are easy to spot and are a sign that both glaciers and sea ice were present at this time. 

Permain dropstones from Fossil Cove, southern Tasmania (scale in cm)