1. Tombstone Weathering Lab

2. Preparation Reading on Weathering Processes
Lecture on Weathering Processes
Chemical
Physical
Class-generated list of factors controlling weathering rates

3. 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

4. Cemetery with Recognizable Consistent Lithology and Shape of Headstones

5. Where we worked

6. Where we worked

7. When we worked

8. 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

9. Field Trip Steps
5 minute demo on using calipers

10. 5 minute demo on visual weathering classes

11. 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

12. 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?”

13. 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

14. 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