What is Weathering?
Weathering is the breaking down of rocks, soil, and minerals, as well as wood and artificial materials, through contact with the Earth's atmosphere, water, and biological organisms. Weathering occurs on-site, that is, in the same place, with little or no movement, and thus should not be confused with erosion, which involves the movement of rocks and minerals by agents such as water, ice, snow, wind, waves, and gravity and then being transported and deposited in other locations.
Image 1: Weathering Diagram
What is Honeycomb Weathering?
Honeycomb weathering is a form of cavernous weathering. It consists of regular, tightly adjoining, and commonly patterned cavities that are developed in weathered bedrock, known as tafoni. These are less than 2 cm (0.79 in) in size. Honeycomb weathering typically develops in siliceous rocks. It can be found in all climate types but is most prolific in salt-rich environments, such as deserts and coastal zones. The common factors in the environments in which it is found are high salt concentrations and frequent or occasional desiccating conditions. Many explanations have been proposed for honeycomb and other cavernous weathering. These explanations include marine abrasion; wind corrosion; mechanical weathering resulting from short-term temperature variations; chemical weathering of the interior of the rock (core-softening) under a protective crust (case-hardening) followed by the mechanical removal of the softened material; biogeochemical weathering by lichens; temperature variations acting on salt efflorescence in coastal regions; and salt weathering. Most commonly, researchers have advocated salt weathering as the primary explanation for the formation of honeycomb weathering. Currently, it is considered to be polygenetic in origin, being the result of the complex interaction of physical and chemical weathering processes, which include salt weathering.
Image 2: Honeycomb Weathering
Logging Tasks:
At the GZ, look for a section of rock that is an example of honeycomb weathering. All of these logging tasks will deal with this rock.
- Estimate the size of the eroded "honeycomb" portions in the rock (they should look like divots, similar to image 2).
- Examine the texture of the holes. Are they smooth, rough, etc?
- Are there any jagged parts of this rock? What does this tell you about weathering?
- As of June 2019, earthcaches are now allowed to have a required photo-logging task. Please provide a photo of yourself, your GPSr, or a personal item that proves that you have visited this site. Please post this in your log.
**To log this earthcache, please send your answers to the cache owner**
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