注意事項： 1. 注意討食的猴子，不要在猴子面前拿著塑膠袋或吃東西。 2. 進入鐘乳石洞務必事先申請且要有嚮導陪同，開放時間為11月至4月底，未經申請請勿擅自闖入鐘乳石洞，國家公園有相關規範與罰則。此地質寶位於國家公園與軍事管制區，可在步道規劃處進行探索，切勿擅自離開步道。
Attention! 1. Monkeys attack! Do not feed wild monkeys! Do not bring plastic bags or eat food when wild monkeys are crouching around. 2. Applications for limestone caves! The earthcache is in the national nature park. It is safe to stay and explore this earthcache on the trail. Do not walk off the trail! Application for the limestone caves only starts from November to April.
登錄任務
石灰岩與化學風化
1. 根據寶頁的知識與現場的觀察，請問你在這座石灰岩壁上發現幾種化學風化？為什麼不同區域的化學風化茂盛程度不同?解釋你的想法。
2. 這座石灰岩壁紀錄著不同的地質事件，像是崩塌作用與化學風化作用，區辨這些地質事件的先後順序。
3. 觀察岩壁，試著預測看看這座石灰岩壁未來會如何變化? 解釋你的想法。
4. 請找到一塊受到化學風化的石灰岩，這塊石灰岩不只受到溶蝕作用影響，還有受到其他化學風化影響的石灰岩，與這塊化學風化的石灰岩拍照，內容包含化學風化的岩石與你、你的代表物、或你的GPS裝置。
線上登錄這個地質寶，請寄到Geocaching.com的信箱，若有什麼問題，會再回覆給你。除了登錄任務第3題，請不要在線上log中公佈你的答案，感謝。
5. （自主任務）深入鐘乳石洞穴，分享與鐘乳石的合照。
Logging Task
Limestone and Chemical weathering
1. Based on the knowledge in the listing page and the observation at the posted coordination. How many types of chemical weathering do you discover on the limestone wall? Why are different chemical weathering processes abundant at different areas on the wall? Explain your thoughts.
2. This limestone wall recorded different geology incidents, like mass wasting and chemical weathering processes. Distinguish the order of these geology incidents.
3. Observe the wall and predict what it would change in the future? Explain your thoughts.
4. Find a chemical weathered limestone. The rock was affected by solution process and other type of chemical process. Photo the chemical weathered limestone with you, your identifying items, or your GPS device.
Log this cache "Found it" and send me your suggested answers either via my profile, or via geocaching.com (Message Center) messaging, and I will contact you if there is a problem. Please, do not post your answers in the log, except logging task 3.
5. (Voluntary) Go inside the limestone caves with applications. Share your photos of stalactite.
高雄融石 #石灰岩
高雄柴山是鄰近海洋的郊山，整座山體大部分由石灰岩與珊瑚礁構成。地質寶點為泰國谷，佇立於此可觀察一整面風化過後的石灰岩山谷。這座石灰岩壁記錄著柴山獨特的地質事件，現在來泰國谷認識柴山的地質歷史。
這個地質寶要做什麼？
辨識石灰岩上的化學風化。
壽山國家自然公園的石灰岩
柴山屬於壽山國家自然公園的一部分，這裡有許多與石灰岩相關的地形，如：石灰岩洞、溝、峽谷。壽山區域的石灰岩洞其實由崩塌作用或塊體運動而形成，並非形成自石灰岩的溶蝕作用，與典型喀斯特地形不盡相同。崩塌作用泛指風化物質受重力作用，沿著斜坡產生向下移動的現象。這個歷程更像是涉及移動土壤岩石或溶解物質的侵蝕作用，當然化學風化作用讓壽山的石灰岩更為脆弱，風化作用加成之下，這裡的岩石更容易出現崩塌作用與侵蝕作用。下圖為壽山洞穴發育模式圖。
石灰岩具有溶於酸性水的特徵，化學風化讓柴山地區的岩石變得脆弱，再加上高雄區熱帶氣候帶來豐沛的雨水，使得這裡的化學風化相當強烈。事實上，強力的溶蝕作用在石灰岩洞穴中形成流石、鐘乳石、石筍、與石柱。 請觀察幾個不同石灰岩洞穴中的流石、鐘乳石、石筍、與石柱，瞭解洞穴中的石灰岩受溶蝕作用影響的結果。
不過，石灰岩溝與石灰岩峽谷不會形成鐘乳石與石筍，走在其中還是可以觀察到岩壁上露出的流石(甚至有一些微型鐘乳石滴)。不過，這些岩壁暴露於陽光與空氣中，他們更容易受到風化作用的影響。
化學風化
溶解作用(Solution)：岩石中的礦物完全溶解於水，沒有產生新的物質，這類岩石含有鈣、鎂等礦物的岩石。
水解作用(Hydrolysis)：岩石中的礦物一部分和水作用，產生可溶性鹽類，另一部分則產生新的物質，像是黏土類礦物。
水合作用(Hydration)：岩石中的礦物與水結合，形成含有氫、氫氧離子的化合物，像是赤鐵礦與水結合成為褐鐵礦。
氧化作用(Oxidation)：岩石中的礦物與氧作用，多種礦物都會和氧發生化學作用，常見的像是二價鐵氧化成為三價鐵，讓岩石顏色變為紅褐色。
生物風化(Biological weathering)：細菌、蕈類、地衣等微生物可能會讓岩石中的礦物發生化學變化，透過產生溶於水的有機酸引發化學變化。
現在已經介紹完石灰岩與化學風化的知識，回到公布點的泰國谷，這裡的岩石受到不同形式的風化，試著從岩石表面不同的顏色與外貌來推測看看是哪種化學風化作用的影響。
Melting Rocks in Kaohsiung #limestone
Chaishan in Kaohsiung is a small mountain near the ocean. Whole the mountain is primarily composed of limestone and coral reefs. At the posted coordination, named “Tai-Guo-Gu”, a valley's grandiose walls of weathered limestone stood there. This limestone wall recorded different geology incidents in Chaishan. Let's discover the unique geology history of Chaishan.
What to do with this earthcache?
Recognize the chemical weathering on limestone. Recognize different geology incidents.
Limestone in Shoushan National Nature Park
Chaishan is a part of Shoushan National Nature Park. There are many limestone-related geomorphological features in the Shoushan area, like limestone caves, fissures, and valleys. Limestone caves in the Shoushan area are formed with mass wasting or mass movement rather than a limestone-dissolving process. It is hard to describe them as karst landscapes since they are not solutional caves. Mass wasting is a general term for the movement of rock or soil down slopes under the force of gravity. This process is more likely to be erosion process, which is the removing soil, rock, or dissolved material by water. Of course, the chemical weathering weakened the limestone in the Shoushan. It is more vulnerable to erosion process and mass wasting with the assistance of the chemical weathering process. A development model demonstrated below.
Limestone has a characteristic which is more soluble to acid water. Chemical weathering weakens the rocks in Chaishan. And the tropical weather in Kaohsiung brings heavy rains facilitating the chemical weathering. In fact, the strong solution process results in many flowstones, stalactites, stalagmites, and columns in the limestone caves. Now, let's see some dissolved limestone in different caves to know more about flowstones, stalactites, stalagmites, and columns.
Although stalactites or stalagmites wouldn't be formed in the fissures and valleys. Walking in the fissures and valleys in the Shoushan area, there are some flowstones (even some petite stalactite) exposed on the wall. However, the limestone wall at Tai-Guo-gu has a similar but slightly different appearance from the dissolved limestone in the cave. The wall is exposed under the sun, water and air. They are more vulnerable to the weathering processes.
Weathering
Weathering is the deterioration of rocks, soils and minerals as well as wood and artificial materials through contact with water, atmospheric gases, and biological organisms. Weathering processes are divided into physical and chemical weathering. Physical weathering involves the breakdown of rocks and soils through the mechanical effects of heat, water, ice, or other agents. Chemical weathering involves the chemical reaction of water, atmospheric gases, and biologically produced chemicals with rocks and soils.
Chemical Weathering
Here, this earthcache focused on chemical weathering.
Solution：The process in which a mineral dissolves completely without producing any new solid substance
Hydrolysis：Only part of a mineral is taken into solution. The rest of the mineral is transformed into a new solid material, such as a clay mineral.
Hydration：The process involves the rigid attachment of water molecules or H+ and OH- ions to the atoms and molecules of a mineral. iron oxides are converted to iron hydroxides
Oxidation：The process in which a mineral reacts to oxygen. The most common one is the oxidation of Fe2+ by oxygen and water to form Fe3+ , giving the rock a reddish-brown color.
Biological Weathering：Microorganisms,like bacteria, fungi, or lichen, may initiate the chemical process of minerals by producing carbon dioxide and organic acid dissolving in water.
Now, knowledge of limestone and chemical weathering were introduced. Back to the posted coordination, Tai-Guo-Gu, rocks here were affected by different types of weathering process. Observe the colours on the surface of walls and forms of rocks to speculate which type of weathering process likely influences.
Reference
國家公園學報第30卷第2期 壽山國家自然公園石灰岩洞穴發育模式