Tafoni are small miniature cave-like hollows formed in granular rocks such as granite, sandstone, and limestone. Their natural patterns add amazing beauty to the landscape.
Above the “Pirates Cove” here at Corona del Mar you will find tafoni formations. These were formed by a process called honeycomb weathering, a type of salt weathering. It is thought for honeycomb weathering to occur, salt, water, and wind must be present. Honeycomb weathering formations often occur along coast lines and deserts because of this.
Saltwater is deposited onto rocks either by waves or by mist in the air. The rock type found here is a type of sandstone. Sandstone is granular sedimentary rock. The water settles into the sandstone in such a way that when the water evaporates, salt crystals start to form within the porous-spaces of the rock. As the crystals grow, they pry apart the little grains of sand, leaving them loose and vulnerable to other forms of weathering such as the wind. This continues to the point where noticeable hollows are formed, the tafoni formations. You can notice that lining the inside of some of the tafoni is a delicate layer of salt. The process of weathering here is unceasing.
Logging requirements:
Send me an email with the following :
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The text "Tafoni and Honeycomb Weathering - Corona Del Mar" on the first line
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The number of people in your group.
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Answer the following questions: At the coordinates you will find a formation of tafoni. On average, how deep are the hollows? On average, what’s the length of each tafone?
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Feel the granticular sandstone. Explain why tafoni formed on this type of rock.
The above information was compiled from the following sources:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tafoni
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honeycomb_weathering
- http://wikiboulder.com/guides/guide/California/Corona_del_Mar
