Friday, December 18, 2009

Tear-pants weathering...


is the informal term given to this sharply-pinnacled surface texture found on carbonates in arid climates (it's actually a form of micro-karst; click to enlarge). And it's appropriately named, too. I sure wouldn't want to take a tumble on this surface, especially in shorts and t-shirt.

2 comments:

  1. Where was this photo taken? Just curious...

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  2. I snapped this shot yesterday while hoofing it up the Portal trail. The block is from a bed in the Kayenta Formation, and others were similarly weathered and scattered about.

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