What causes the earthy smell after rain?
If you've ever taken a stroll outside after a storm, you've probably noticed a distinctive smell. Well, that smell is called petrichor, and it's often associated with spring, just like we frequently associate the smell of fresh-cut grass with summer. Here I mean, water itself doesn't have this smell, so why does rain. Let’s think and understand what exactly happens. Well, as it turns out, there's more than one kind of rain smell and several factors that cause it one smell comes before the rain hits the ground it's slightly sweet and sharp. It’s Petrichor! The earthy scent produced when rain falls on dry soil is technically called petrichor. The term “petrichor” was coined by Australian scientists in 1964. They investigated the aroma coming from moist clay, sediment, and rock. Numerous other studies were conducted later to figure out what causes petrichor and if we can artificially mimic it. The petrichor scent is generally caused due to the secretion of oils by ...