Assessing Weathering of Vertical and Horizontal Limestone Tombstones in Washington State
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Campus where you would like to present
Ellensburg
Event Website
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source
Start Date
16-5-2021
End Date
22-5-2021
Keywords
Geomorphology, Weathering, Limestone
Abstract
Rain, wind, and other processes modify Earth’s landscape and rock material over time. Examining tombstone weathering is a way to measure the weathering rates of rock. The date listed on the tombstone provides the approximate year that weathering started. The limestone tombstones examined in this study are especially susceptible to chemical weathering by acid rain, which is created by fossil fuel combustion. While some might think tombstones are a permanent reminder of their loved ones, over the years they can become difficult to read due to the weathering processes. To discover which tombstones show more weathering, vertically oriented tombstones and horizontally oriented tombstones were examined from multiple graveyards using a visual weathering classification system. A total of five cemeteries were visited in Yakima, Ellensburg, Leavenworth in central Washington, and Black Diamond in western Washington. The goal was to sample 500-1000 tombstones older than the year AD 1930 within these cemeteries. I hypothesized that vertically oriented tombstones would show more weathering than horizontally oriented tombstones, because vertical tombstones are more exposed to wind whereas horizontal tombstones are protected from wind. However, preliminary findings suggest that horizontal tombstones show more evidence of weathering than vertical tombstones. A contributing factor to this observation could be that moisture stands on horizontal tombstones for longer periods, allowing more time for the chemical weathering reaction. By sampling from both central Washington and western Washington one can gain an understanding as to whether acid rain weathering is more prevalent in wetter or dryer climates. Winner, College of the Sciences Presentation Award.
Recommended Citation
Powers, Mary, "Assessing Weathering of Vertical and Horizontal Limestone Tombstones in Washington State" (2021). Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE). 57.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2021/COTS/57
Department/Program
Geological Sciences
Additional Mentoring Department
https://cwu.studentopportunitycenter.com/assessing-weathering-of-vertical-and-horizontal-limestone-tombstones-in-washington-state/
Assessing Weathering of Vertical and Horizontal Limestone Tombstones in Washington State
Ellensburg
Rain, wind, and other processes modify Earth’s landscape and rock material over time. Examining tombstone weathering is a way to measure the weathering rates of rock. The date listed on the tombstone provides the approximate year that weathering started. The limestone tombstones examined in this study are especially susceptible to chemical weathering by acid rain, which is created by fossil fuel combustion. While some might think tombstones are a permanent reminder of their loved ones, over the years they can become difficult to read due to the weathering processes. To discover which tombstones show more weathering, vertically oriented tombstones and horizontally oriented tombstones were examined from multiple graveyards using a visual weathering classification system. A total of five cemeteries were visited in Yakima, Ellensburg, Leavenworth in central Washington, and Black Diamond in western Washington. The goal was to sample 500-1000 tombstones older than the year AD 1930 within these cemeteries. I hypothesized that vertically oriented tombstones would show more weathering than horizontally oriented tombstones, because vertical tombstones are more exposed to wind whereas horizontal tombstones are protected from wind. However, preliminary findings suggest that horizontal tombstones show more evidence of weathering than vertical tombstones. A contributing factor to this observation could be that moisture stands on horizontal tombstones for longer periods, allowing more time for the chemical weathering reaction. By sampling from both central Washington and western Washington one can gain an understanding as to whether acid rain weathering is more prevalent in wetter or dryer climates. Winner, College of the Sciences Presentation Award.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2021/COTS/57
Faculty Mentor(s)
Lisa Ely