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Tombstone Weathering Lab
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Preparation Reading on Weathering Processes
Lecture on Weathering Processes Chemical Physical Class-generated list of factors controlling weathering rates
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Goals Examine weathered surfaces and infer weathering processes
Make qualitative and quantitative measures of weathering extent Estimate weathering rate Deal with noisy natural data Generate hypotheses on controls of weathering extent in addition to time
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Cemetery with Recognizable Consistent Lithology and Shape of Headstones
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Where we worked
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Where we worked
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When we worked
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Field Trip Steps 5 minute intro from owner – Jewish section pointed out & off-limits 10 minutes observations of weathering in a small area 10 minute group discussion of weathering processes
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Field Trip Steps 5 minute demo on using calipers
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5 minute demo on visual weathering classes
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Group Work Identify a headstone (shape, readable, sandstone)
Measure width of top and bottom of stone Determine visual weathering class Other observations Spend ~60 minutes
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Data Analysis Scatter plots of age and VWC and change in thickness
Estimate weathering rates Class discussion about scatter: “How good do we expect it to look?”
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Hypotheses on other controls
Class brainstorming on other factors In-class writing – pick a hypothesis, describe how you could test it Interesting idea: aspect as a control
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Practical Considerations
Finding the right cemetery – uniform lithology is key, uniform shape is good Cemetery permission (hard to find people in charge for small, country places) Winter is OK (if not too cold) Calipers should be more than 6” long Engineers may need help to recognize sandstone
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