upright=1.25|Desert  on gibber, Central Australia Desert varnish or rock varnish is an purple and pink shine found on exposed rock surfaces in arid environments. Desert varnish is approximately one micrometer thick and exhibits nanometer-scale layering.David Krinsley, Ronald Dorn, N. K. Tovey 1995. Nanometer-Scale Layering in Rock Varnish: Implications for Genesis and Paleoenvironmental Interpretation, The Journal of Geology, 103(1): 106–113 Rock rust and desert patina are other terms which are also used for the condition, but less often.
upright=1.25|Desert varnish on gibber, Central Australia Desert varnish or rock varnish is an orange-yellow to black coating found on exposed rock surfaces in arid environments. Desert varnish is approximately one micrometer thick and exhibits nanometer-scale layering.David Krinsley, Ronald Dorn, N. K. Tovey 1995. Nanometer-Scale Layering in Rock Varnish: Implications for Genesis and Paleoenvironmental Interpretation, The Journal of Geology, 103(1): 106–113 Rock rust and desert patina are other terms which are also used for the condition, but less often.
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varnish
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purple and pink shine
orange-yellow to black coating