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Geological Significance
Giovanna Pizarro
Geology 1010
December 2, 2017
The Salt Lake City Cemetery provides several geological significance. Even though the site is
just a cemetery, the tombstone itself provides great examples of geology. An example of geology
in a cemetery would be the gravestones and how they were weathered out. Weathering is define
by the break down of rocks into a sediment form(Earth Sciences: Londons Geology).
Depending on the rock type, each weathering pattern is different from on another. The key
patterns of weathering in gravestones are chemical, physical and biological weathering. Some
gravestone can share the multiple types of weathering pattern. If the cemetery is observe well,
you are able to find some geological significance in the tombstone itself.
Chemical weathering occurs within the rocks when they are chemically altered. There are
three reaction of chemical weathering, which are oxidation, hydrolysis, and carbonation.
Oxidation is another way for saying that rocks/minerals react with oxygen. Which happens to
change the composition of the mineral in the rock. An example would be iron in the minerals
which make up some rocks or which cements rock particles together, will oxides (or rust) if water
and air are present (Tymon, A. (2012). Weathering on gravestones). Usually in sandstone,
oxidation happens to turn the stone into a brown color, based on the iron that happens to be
made up in the stone. Oxidation can also be represented in another from of chemical weathering
when oxygen get combined with other elements in the rock that start to oxides. An example of
3SiO2 (quartz). Hydrolysis which involves water and some time rainwater which is slightly acidic
because the rain water picks up carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that reacts with some minerals.
This causing them to decompose making the other mineral weaker. Physical features of
hydrolysis on gravestone are either mineral turns to powdery clay or grainy salts. An example
would be the crystals that are found in granite. Granite feldspar crystals are white and will usually
break down faster than the quartz crystal in the granite leaving it to become grayer. Basically Na
feldspar and K feldspar undergo hydrolysis to form kaolinite (clay) and Na + and K + ions. The
quartz (and muscovite that may be present) remain as residual minerals due to their high
weathering resistance and then biotite/amphibole undergo hydrolysis to form clay, and oxidation
to form iron oxides. The weathered rock fragments become constituents of the soil (Earth
Sciences: Londons Geology). Carbonation is the process when the mineral of a rock reacts with
carbonic acid. Carbonic acid is normally created when water is combined with carbon dioxide.
In rock carbonic acid generally break down or dissolve the minerals in the rock. Example of
carbonation formula is CO2 + H2O = >H2CO3 (carbon dioxide + water = carbonic acid) and
CaCo3 + H2Co3 => Ca^+2 + 2HCO3- (Calcite + Carbonic acid => calcium +
fracturing and flacking. Mechanical also known as physical weathering breaks down stone
without any chemical alterations. There are two main types of mechanical weathering, which are
when heat from the sun cause the rock to expand and contract. The outer part of the rock will
expand during high day time temperatures and will rapidly cool at night. This reaction cause
stress in there rock and by doing so makes the rock to slowly produce cracks. The other type is
weathering depends on the expansion of water when it starts to freeze into ice. Normally this
only affect rock in climates that have temperatures around freezing-points. When water enters the
cracks, pores and joints of the rock it will start to expand by freezing and will forcibly push the
rocks apart. This reaction results involved rocks to become broken and normally fall due to
gravity. An example would be picture 1, with the gravestone that broken in half.
Biological weathering features are usually lichens, moss, or the ground becoming unleveled.
Physical appearance of a gravestone that affect the stone itself are animals, and plants. Most
common form of biological weathering involves lichen and moss. Moss and lichen attach
themselves to the rock surface and by doing so allows them to take in moisture and nutrients from
the air. "Lichen are normally rich in chelating agents, which help it bond to iron and other kind
of metal rocks (How Does Weathering Affect Monuments). This leaves the stone to become
weak and is vulnerable to cracks and wears. An example of lichen on a graves then look at
picture 6.Another biological type involving plants are roots. Some plant in roots at gravestone can
penetrate small space in the gravestone or the roots could make the gravestone become unleveled
or toppled.
It is now shown that the Salt Lake City Cemetery can provide some geological significance in
geology. Even though there are just tombstone at the site, the tombstone are made of rock and
with rock present you can always find some geological significance even though its small. By
carefully studying the patterns of weathering, you are able to evaluate which gravestone was
affect by which type of weathering. With a site that provides little bit of geological features, you
still can find some features by looking at the gravestone, that provides hidden features of geology.
Bibliography
1. Physical, chemical and biological, London. (n.d.). Retrieved December 06, 2017, from
https://www.geolsoc.org.uk/ks3/gsl/education/resources/rockcycle/page3718.html
2. How Does Weathering Affect Monuments? (n.d.). Retrieved December 06, 2017, from
https://sciencing.com/weathering-affect-monuments-4324.html
3. Earth Sciences: London's Geology. (n.d.). Retrieved December 06, 2017, from https://
www.ucl.ac.uk/earth-sciences/impact/geology/london/citycemetery/weathering/
classification
4. Tymon, A. (2012). Weathering on gravestones - West Yorkshire Geology Trust ... Retrieved
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The huge split in the stone was affected by This images shows that the gravestone has
Freeze-thaw weathering. This affects the cracks, chips and is flaking, which
rock when temperatures are around indicated that this is cause by physical
freezing-points. Physical is the type of weathering.
weathering shown here.
This tombstone also has two
different types of weathering.
Which are chemical and biological
weathering based on the inscription
becoming difficult to read and the
unleveling of the ground that made
the tomb slant downwards to the
right.