Temperature distributions were monitored in the laboratory in air-dry and moist soil under and around buried and surface stones submitted to a diurnal heat wave. Only with surface stones were temperatures different under the stone compared to surrounding soil. During the heating period, temperatures beneath the stone were cooler than in adjacent air-dry soil. During the cooling period, they were warmer. When soil is sufficiently dry that water moves mainly in the vapor phase, it is hypothesized that condensation could occur on the undersides of surface stones during the early part of the day. Such moisture accumulation may be of significance to desert fauna and flora.