Strictly speaking

When rain lashes concrete on a hot day, Petrichor is the divine essence of stone

Petrichor was coined by CSIRO scientists Isabel Bear and Richard Thomas in 1964, as the name for the oily liquid they had discovered to be released from the earth when moistened by humidity or rain. It’s also the name for the distinctive smell that this substance emits.

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One Comment

  1. Petrichor is also the title and subject of a song on Paul Kelly’s latest album, (which is where I first came across it)- a sign the term is penetrating modern society.

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