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| "The Rock" Image from http://www.flickr.com/photos/michaelfowler/4517004501/ | |
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Monaco has many interesting Land forms. Perhaps the most famous is "The Rock of Monaco" which is located on the Mediteranin cost of Monaco. This monolithic formation was created by the exposition of the hard igneous rock through erosion.
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| Rock climbing in Monaco Image from http://www.coronn.com/TOPOS/france/ |
Monaco also has a great rock climbing scene which is made ideal by the Joints and cracks found in the rocks. These are cracks created by weathering that create space within it. Most of the weathering in these rocks is most likely created by salt weathering which is indicated by isolated white streaks in the rock surface. We can also see the root wedging weathering process as well which separates the rocks particles as the plant grows and the roots expand with it.
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| Basal Weathering Image from http://www.coronn.com/TOPOS/france |
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| Basal Weathering Image from http://www.coronn.com/TOPOS/france |
Basal weathering creates an overhanging rock formations which are great challenges for climbers. These are NOT created by wind but by salt weathering. The water containing the salt percolates to the bottom of the rock and crystallizes or expands there creating more breakout at the bottom of the rock. If we cook closely at the second picture we can also see Alveoli that are finger size corrosions in the rock which are also formed by weathering of the rock.
I enjoyed reading about Monaco's Landforms. You had great detail and explanation on the cracks and what it was caused by, but it kind of seems like that is your main point. The only other thing you briefly talked about was the Alveoli in one of the pictures. Your visuals and information are great, but it would be nice to know a little bit more.
ReplyDeleteUstina
i personally have never studied Monaco. Although the blog was very interesting I feel that all the general information was there however the depth was missing. The blog said what happened to all the formations, however it didn't explain how the formations happened. That being said the blog as a hole is every well done and touches on many key points.
ReplyDeleteJohn Rugg
personally im interested in touring the Mediterranean. The rock climbing really caught my attention on how well you described the rocks formation due to salt and weathering and not the wind. your description on how the rocks joints and cracks got to be on the rocks were clear to me. you described weathering on the rocks well but i must agree on not seeing more information on the alveoli. what kind of weather caused it? Physical chemical? the process involved in forming the alveoli
ReplyDelete