#dropstone

Rocks out of place

Why are these rocks out of place? They just do not fit the environment in which they are. The sea waves that moved the medium to coarse sand that is now the sandstone that surrounds these boulders, are not strong enough to move boulders. There is a huge contrast in mass between the sand and the boulder. So, the only explanation is they were placed here by some other means. For this reason, such rocks are called ‘dropstones’, as they were dropped/placed into their current position, rather than being transported along with the surrounding sediment.

One explanation how this could have happened, is the sea ice. During Permian (~300-250 million years ago) this region was under ice age conditions, with glaciers covering the continent from land to sea. So, whether it was glaciers sliding into the sea, or sea ice enveloping loose boulders around the coast and moving them off into the sea; it is impossible to say exactly. But, because ice floats on water, it provides a good candidate for a mechanism of moving these heavy boulders from the land to the sea bypassing the sea wave transport.

Professor Layton Locations | Dropstone

Visually, Dropstone stands as a complete contrast to its sister town, Folsense. Whereas it is night in Folsense and the lighting is completely artificial, an almost blinding array of electric lights and neon signs, Dropstone is very natural. The village is picturesque, surrounded by fields, forest, rolling green hills and, even further in the distance, craggy mountains. The sky is clear, a robin's egg blue. Likewise, the town's color scheme is soft and pastel, pale primary colors that suggest a gentle and peaceful settlement. Whereas Folsense is prententious and gaudy, Dropstone is a simple rural settlement, the houses rustic and quaint. Even during its 50th Anniversary celebration, the village remains laid-back and slow-paced. The biggest tension seen involves a mix-up during the cow festival.

If St. Mystere is Flora’s village, then Dropstone is Sophia’s. After leaving Folsense behind with her then unborn child, Sophia founded the village of Dropstone with a handful of other ex-Folsense citizens  and became its matriarch. Even after her death, her influence remains strong, especially in the lives of her son-in-law, Mr. Anderson, and granddaughter, Katia, two of the village's most prominent citizens. Mr. Anderson describes the village best: 

"These picturesque hills...These happy people. Dropstone has been blessed with so much. Sophia built this place from scratch into a village full of warmth and cameraderie. Dropstone must never be allowed to wither and die like so many other villages. After all, this places owes its current prosperity to the sacrifices she made."