Evidence of Vitrified Stonework in the Inca Vestiges of Peru (cont.)
By Jan Peter de Jong & Christopher Jordan

Identifying Vitrified Stones.

The following traits help to identify vitrified stones:

• The melted effect is obvious
• Reflection is high
• The layer refracts, diffracts and diffuses light
• A separate vitrified layer is present on the surface
• Damaged layers show a ´film´ on the stone
• The glazed layer is independent of rock type
• The surface is smooth to the touch even if the surface is irregular
• There is often associated heat discoloration surrounding the glaze

The diffraction effect can be seen in the video of 'the Inca Throne' at Sacsayhuaman. The rainbow effect is clearly captured by the camera. This is directly linked to the light passing through the glass layer and splitting into its constituent parts. After noticing this effect, it was also detected on videos of other vitrified stones. This can be viewed on this short video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ae_8ri2fiwI, and on the DVD that will be available shortly.

The DVD "The Cosmogony of the 3 Worlds" shows an overview of this phenomenon in the chapter on Vitrified Stones.

This is available on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x81-5SWVtUQ

VITRIFIED STONE SAMPLE ANALYSIS

In order to get a clear idea of what the make up of these intriguing layers of stone are, a sample has been tested. A small sample from the Peruvian site called Tetecaca has been collected for further analysis. This smooth layer has been analyzed by the University of Utrecht, Holland.

The sample is from a rock outcrop above Cuzco. Inside a cave there is an altar formed from rectangular shapes made of the rock. Several lines in the rock have a shiny surface, as if they were branded into the rock. They are on right lines on the wall of the cave. The walls are cut out with curved and rectangular forms in them. These are man made structures, which rules out natural phenomena.

Pictures from inside of the cave, walls with long, straight reflecting lines and an altar structure:

Below is a picture of the spot where the sample was found.

The white line indicates where the thin section was made. The smooth layer on the picture is about 2 cm wide and 1.3 cm deep. The sample was carefully cut into two parts and a thin section was taken for analysis in the Microprobe, jxa 8600 Pioneer. Several points were measured on the inside of the sample and on the smooth surface.