There are two types of coastal honeycomb weathering - intertidal and supratidal.
“The intertidal zone, is the area that is above water at low tide and under water at high tide.”
Intertidal honeycomb weathering is found on horizontal planes in rock within the tidal zone. Cavities of the intertidal zone typically consist of shallow depressions separated by ridges. During high tides, these cavities become filled with seawater. When the tide recedes this saline water may evaporate to leave white crystalline residue. As cavities increase in size, the depth of trapped seawater may become so great that the sun can not evaporate all of the water left in the gap, so the holes are as large as they will get, because the salt can not dry out and wedge grains apart any longer.
“The supratidal zone, is the area above the spring high tide line, on coastlines and estuaries, that is regularly splashed, but not submerged by ocean water. Seawater penetrates these elevated areas only during storms with high tides.”
Honeycomb cavities in the supratidal splash zone commonly consist of deep depressions separated by thin walls of unweathered rock. Supratidal honeycomb cavities are commonly oriented along exposed bedding edges, cross-bedding. Many examples can be found in apparently uniform outcrops.
At the published coordinates you will see see a feature which is made up of three different materials.
In order to log a find against this EarthCache you will need to answer some questions about this feature and send your answer to me via my Geocaching profile or through the Messenger Centre.
1) The feature is made up of two layers. Which of the layers shows the most honeycomb weathering?
2) Estimate the size of the largest hole on the east side of the feature.
3) Which kind of honeycomb weathering is affecting this feature?