Pelican Point was once a large jetting rock out into the Pacific Ocean. Natural erosion from the ocean caused the cliff to grow and rocks to fracture. Rock fractures happen when static bedrock sits exposed for long periods of time and when weathering is occurring at the same angle for this time. The rocks at the bottom of the cliff are the same at the top, except that they are more weathered which is why they don't look like the same.
The Monterey formation is made up of siltstones and sandstones. The specific names of the rocks found here are diatomite, chert, and fossiliferous sandstone. Over millions of years, these rocks were laid down in the shallow ocean and were uplifted at a rate of 2mm per year. They are still up lifting today, but this section has been eroding due to the river in the canyon.
Not all rocks are created equally. Some are formed with microscopic chips. Overtime, these chips grow due to expansion of crystals. These crystals are usually ice, but can also be salt. Microscopic salt crystals formed in these microscopic chips. When the salt crystals few, the fracture in the rock did as well. High tide brought new sea water over the exposed bedrock. When low tide came, the water dried up leaving behind salt crystals in the microscopic fractures in the rock.
The crystals literally push open the rock into beautiful arguments along the sea shore. This also works well and better with ice crystals in cold areas, but here in California there isn't any ice on the beach. At least, not for now.
Works Cited
http://www2.pvc.maricopa.edu/~douglass/v_trips/wxing/introduction_files/differentialwx.html
http://intheplaygroundofgiants.com/geology-basics-2/an-introduction-to-physical-geology/
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1. Crystal Cove State Park - Pelican Point on the first line of your email.
2. Estimate the angle degree that the fractures make with each other in the rock.
3. Draw an imaginary 1 x 1 square foot along the surface of the bed rock. About how many fractures do you see going in one direction verses the other inside this imaginary box.
4. Estimate the height of some of the "mini" rock towers that broke away from the main rock.
5. Do you see any evidence salt build up inside these fractures?
6. Look at the first diagram on the cache page. Out of the three options, which one describes this site the best?
7. Based on your own observations, do you believe that the salt crystals will stop breaking up the rocks here?
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