Thermal properties as controls on rock surface temperature maxima,and possible implications for rock weathering

Four rock types (basalt, sandstone, granite, and chalk) are examined with respect to the maximum surface temperatures which they experience when subjected to similar conditions of exposure. Rock temperature measurements are reported for an urban environment and for two experimental situations in which an infrared lamp is used to simulate heating under cold and hot conditions. Differences in rock temperatures are discussed with reference to thermal rock properties (albedo, specific heat capacity, and thermal conductivity). Some natural situations are suggested in which thermal rock properties could conceivably play a role in determining the extent to which rocks would be affected by particular weathering processes.     

Modeling past and future alpine permafrost distribution in the Colorado Front Range

Rock glaciers, a feature associated with at least discontinuous permafrost, provide important topoclimatic information. Active and inactive rock glaciers can be used to model current permafrost distribution. Relict rock glacier locations provide paleoclimatic information to infer past conditions. Future warmer climates could cause permafrost zones to shrink and initiate slope instability hazards such as debris flows or rockslides, thus modeling change remains imperative. This research examines potential past and future permafrost distribution in the Colorado Front Range by calibrating an existing permafrost model using a standard adiabatic rate for mountains (0·5 °C per 100 m) for a 4 °C range of cooler and warmer temperatures. According to the model, permafrost currently covers about 12 per cent (326·1 km²) of the entire study area (2721·5 km²). In a 4 °C cooler climate 73·7 per cent (2004·4 km²) of the study area could be covered by permafrost, whereas in a 4°C warmer climate almost no permafrost would be found. Permafrost would be reduced severely by 93·9 per cent (a loss of 306·2 km²) in a 2·0 °C warmer climate; however, permafrost will likely respond slowly to change. Relict rock glacier distribution indicates that mean annual air temperature (MAAT) was once at least some 3·0 to 4·0 °C cooler during the Pleistocene, with permafrost extending some 600–700 m lower than today. The model is effective at identifying temperature sensitive areas for future monitoring; however, other feedback mechanisms such as precipitation are neglected. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evidence for freeze–thaw events and their implications for rock weathering in northern Canada

Discussions regarding weathering in cold environments generally centre on mechanical processes and on the freeze–thaw mechanism in particular. Despite the almost ubiquitous assumption of freeze–thaw weathering, unequivocal proof of interstitial rock water actually freezing and thawing is singularly lacking. Equally, many studies have used the crossing of 0 °C, or values close to that, as the basis for determining the number of ‘freeze–thaw events’. In order to assess the weathering regime at a site in northern Canada, temperatures were collected at the surface, 1 cm and 3 cm depth for sets of paving bricks, with exposures both vertical and at 45°, orientated to the four cardinal directions. Temperature data were collected at 1 min intervals for 1 year. These data provide unequivocal proof for the occurrence of the freezing and thawing of water on and within the rock (freeze–thaw events). The freeze event is evidenced by the exotherm associated with the release of latent heat as the water actually freezes. This is thought to be the ?rst record of such events from a ?eld situation. More signi?cantly, it was found that the temperature at which freezing occurred varied signi?cantly through the year and that on occasion the 1 cm depth froze prior to the rock surface. The change in freeze temperature is thought to be due to the chemical weathering of the material (coupled with on‐going salt inputs via the melting of snowfall), which, it is shown, could occur throughout the winter despite air temperatures down to ?30 °C. This ?nding regarding chemical weathering is also considered to be highly signi?cant. A number of thermal stress events were also recorded, suggesting that rock weathering in cold regions is a synergistic combination of various chemical and mechanical weathering mechanisms. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Impact of textural patterns on modeled rock weathering rates and size distribution of weathered grains

Rock texture has a critical influence on the way rocks weather. The most important textural factors affecting weathering are grain size and the presence of cracks and stylolites. These discontinuities operate as planes of mechanical weakness at which chemical weathering is enhanced. However, it is unclear how different rock textures impact weathering rates and the size of weathered grains. Here, we use a numerical model to simulate weathering of rocks possessing grain boundaries, cracks, and stylolites. We ran simulations with either synthetic or natural patterns of discontinuities. We found that for all patterns, weathering rates increase with discontinuity density. When the density was <~25%, the weathering rate of synthetic patterns followed the order: grid > honeycomb > Voronoi > brick wall. For higher values, all weathering rates were similar. We also found that weathering rates decreased as the tortuosity of the pattern increased. Moreover, we show that textural patterns strongly impact the size distributions of detached grains. Rocks with an initial monomodal grain size distribution produce weathered fragments that are normally distributed. In contrast, rocks with an initial log-normal size distribution produce weathered grains that are log-normally distributed. For the natural patterns, weathering produced lower modality distributions.     

Rock mass strength and the form of some inselbergs in the central namib desert

A rock mass strength classification, involving eight parameters, has been applied to selected inselbergs in the Namib Desert. The inselbergs are formed of schists, gneiss, granite and marble. Their slope inclinations are in a strength equilibrium with their rocks. The study suggests that the strength classification is consistent and has a general validity, and that rock slopes, undergoing uniform weathering, retreat to form slopes which are adjusted to their rock mass strength: this is a more general statement than the common hypothesis of parallel retreat. The favoured hypothesis of slope evolution in the Namib is one of retreat rather than downwearing.     

Rock warming and drying under simulated intertidal conditions,part II: weathering and biological influences on evaporative cooling and near‐surface micro‐climatic conditions as an example of biogeomorphic ecosystem engineering

The way in which rocks and engineering materials heat‐up and dry‐out in the intertidal zone is of relevance to both weathering and ecology. These behaviours can be measured in the laboratory under controlled conditions designed to replicate those occurring in the field. Previous studies have demonstrated differences in thermal behaviours between rock types and through time as a result of soiling in terrestrial environments, but the influence of weathering and colonization on rock behaviours in the intertidal zone has not been previously assessed. We measured the warming and drying of blocks of rock (limestone and granite) and marine concrete during ‘low‐tide’ events simulated in the laboratory, before and after a period of exposure (eight months) on rock platforms in Cornwall, UK. As well as differences between the material types, temperatures of control (unexposed) and field‐exposed blocks differed in the order of 1 to 2 °C. Drying behaviours were also different after field exposure. Differences during the first few hours of exposure to air and heat were attributed to discolouration and albedo effects. Over longer periods of time, changes in the availability of near‐surface pore water as a result of micro‐scale bioerosion of limestone and the development of bio‐chemical crusts on marine concrete [observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM)] are suggested as mechanisms enhancing and reducing, respectively, the efficiency of evaporative cooling. The retention of moisture by epilithic biofilms may also influence thermal and drying behaviours of granite. These observations represent one of the first examples of cross‐scalar biogeomorphic linkages in the intertidal zone. The significance of the results for the subsequent efficiency of weathering, and near‐surface micro‐climatic conditions experienced by colonizing organisms is discussed. The involvement of microorganisms in the creation of more (or less) ecologically stressful conditions through the alteration of substratum geomorphic properties and behaviours is suggested as an example of ‘biogeomorphic ecosystem engineering’. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The relations between modulus of elasticity and temperature in the context of the experimental simulation of rock weathering by fire

Fires occur frequently in many biomes and generate high temperatures on the ground surface. There are many field examples of fire causing rock disintegration. The simulation of fire in the laboratory (using a furnace) and the monitoring of changes in rock modulus of elasticity (with a Grindosonic apparatus), reveal that different rocks respond differently to heating. Significant decreases in elasticity occur at temperatures as low as 200°C and granites display particularly marked reductions. Extended periods of heating are not required for significant reductions to occur. It is postulated that the degree of change in elasticity as a result of simulated fire is such that rock outcrops subjected to real fires are likely to be sufficiently modified as to increase their susceptibility to erosion and weathering processes.     

Some rock magnetic properties of mid-Cretaceous basalts from Israel and India (Rajmahal traps), and their bearing on palaeointensity experiments

A wide range of rock magnetic properties have been determined from two collections of mid-Cretaceous basalts; one from Israel, the other from the Rajmahal traps in northeast India. Deuteric oxidation is rare in both collections, with titanium-rich titanomagnetite being the principal remanence carrier in most cases. There are a number of differences in rock magnetic properties between the two groups. Some of these seem to be primary, whereas others appear to be caused by hydrothermal alteration and weathering, which are more prevalent in the Indian rocks. These rocks are being used in palaeointensity experiments, from which it is hoped to determine the strength of the Earth's magnetic field during the long period of normal polarity in the mid-Cretaceous. Thellier palaeointensity experiments have been performed on two samples from each site. The degree of agreement between the two results is highly variable. The low blocking temperatures and the presence of secondary viscous components in many samples make Thellier palaeointensity experiments very difficult. A further problem is that of thermal alteration, two main types of which are observed. The first manifests itself as a large and sudden increase in partial thermoremanent magnetization (pTRM) capacity, and the second as a steady decrease in the size of pTRM with increasing temperature.     

Constraints on cooling rates and permeabilities of pumice in an explosive eruption jet from colour and magnetic mineralogy

In explosive volcanic eruptions, vesicular magma droplets, produced by fragmentation, are propelled into the atmosphere where they are chilled to form pumices. The thermal history of droplets and the permeability of their internal bubble networks determine how much they are deformed in the eruption jet, and hence what information pumices record about the state of the magma at fragmentation. We study these aspects of the `Minoan' plinian eruption of Santorini Volcano by quantifying the rate of oxidation reactions that took place when air entered the hot magma fragments. In our experiments white Minoan pumices were heated for minutes to hours between 600 and 850°C, either in air, or in an atmosphere with an oxygen fugacity at the Ni–NiO buffer. Pumices were unchanged by heating at Ni–NiO. Those heated in air often became pink to dark pink, depending on heating time, and their Curie temperatures, as determined by magnetic susceptibility measurements, increased. We use oxidation rates deduced from these experiments, in conjunction with calculations of the rate of conductive cooling and of the rate at which air can enter a pumice, to constrain the conditions experienced by pumices during the eruption. Natural Minoan pumices less than about 5 cm in radius are white, whereas larger ones often have white rims and pink interiors with Curie temperatures higher than those of white material. We infer that small pumices were cooled before being oxidized, and that oxidation of the interiors of large clasts mostly took place during flight, at temperatures within a few tens of degrees of magmatic values. White rims of large pumices, despite being permeable, were cooled before oxidation could occur. Permeability developed in the liquid state, but did not develop early enough, with respect to cooling, or was not large enough to allow extreme oxidation. We give measurements of pumice permeabilities that should be close to magmatic values.     

Laboratory simulation of the salt weathering of schist: 1. Weathering of schist blocks in a seasonally wet tropical environment

Data describing sediment generation focusing on the temporal evolution of size gradation are required for the prediction of long‐term landform evolution. This paper presents such data for the salt weathering of a quartz‐chlorite schist obtained from the Ranger Uranium Mine in northern Australia. Rock fragment samples are subjected to three different climate regimes: (1) a dry season climate; (2) a wet season climate (both based on observations at the Ranger site); and (3) an oven‐drying sequence designed to test the sensitivity of the weathering process by exposing the rocks to more extreme temperatures. Two MgSO₄ salt solutions are applied, one being typical of wet season runoff and the other a more concentrated solution. Salt solution is applied daily in the wet season experiments and once only at the beginning of the dry season experiments. Results of the experiments reveal four stages of weathering. The kinetics of each stage are described and related to the formation of sediment of different sizes. Wet season climate conditions are shown to produce greater moisture variability and lead to faster weathering rates. However, salt concentrations in the wet season are typically lower and so when climate is combined with observed salt concentrations, the dry and wet season experiments weather at approximately equal rates. Finally, small variations in rock properties were shown to have a large impact on weathering rates, leading to the conclusion that rock weathering experiments need to be carefully designed if results are to be used to help predict weathering behaviour at the landscape scale. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Surface‐climate attributes at Injisuthi Outpost,Drakensberg, and possible ramifications for weathering

Aerial and sub‐aerial climatic data were collected from a station at 1920 m a.s.l. in the Injisuthi region of the South African Drakensberg. Sensors monitored air temperature, soil surface and rock surface temperature, for two rock types, over the summer and winter of 2001/2002. Rainfall was measured from the summer of 2001 to January 2004. These are the first rock and soil surface‐climate data to be collected for an exposed site at this altitude in the area. Rainfall over the two calendar years 2002 and 2003 was found to be below estimates for the region, but patterns imply numerous rock wetting and drying cycles in summer. At the site, air, rock and soil temperatures differ considerably on a diurnal basis with respect to both absolute temperature and daily ranges. Mean rock daily ranges, as conducive to possible thermal fatigue, are found to be similar in the summer and winter periods. Of the two rock types monitored, the darker coloured basalt attained higher maximum and marginally lower minimum temperatures than the sandstone. Soil frost did not occur at 2·5 cm depth, but rock did reach below ?6 °C in winter. Both rock types maintain relatively high rock temperatures in winter (exceeding 25 °C), thus chemical weathering is probably only moisture restricted during this dry period. Findings highlight the importance of directly monitoring rock temperature when attempting to discern the rock weathering environment. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Palaeotemperature determinations for the 1.8-ka Taupo ignimbrite,New Zealand,and implications for the emplacement history of a high-velocity pyroclastic flow

Palaeomagnetic data from lithic clasts collected at 46 sites within layers 1 and 2 of the 1.8-ka Taupo ignimbrite, New Zealand, have been used to determine the palaeotemperatures and thermal structure of the deposit on its emplacement. Equilibrium temperatures from sites less than 30–40 km from vent are 150–300 °C, whereas at greater distances site equilibrium temperatures increase up to 400–500 °C. This variation is seen in both layer 1 and 2 deposits, with values for layer 1 being somewhat cooler, and with its increase in temperature occurring at a greater distance from vent. A temperature maximum at ~50 km from vent coincides with a zone of pink thermal-oxidation colouration of pumices previously inferred to reflect higher emplacement temperatures. Additional palaeomagnetic data collected by us and others from pumice clasts show comparable temperature variations, but these temperature estimates are shown here to be due to a chemical remanence and unreliable for accurate temperature estimates. Cooler temperatures in proximal parts of the ignimbrite are consistent with admixture of >20% cold lithic clasts at source and interaction with the pre-eruption Lake Taupo. The similar, but offset, increases in equilibrium temperatures for medial and distal layers 1 and 2 are consistent with both layers being deposited from the same flow. However, any proximal deposits left by the later, hotter material must have been subsequently eroded, or be so thin that our collection failed to sample them. Radial asymmetries in equilibrium temperatures as well as other physical parameters suggest that the deposit emplacement temperature is primarily determined at source, rather than by interaction with air during transport. These data support previous interpretations that a concentrated basal flow played a dominant role in emplacement and deposition of the Taupo ignimbrite.Editorial responsibility: T. Druitt     

Patterns of damage in igneous and sedimentary rocks under conditions simulating sea‐salt weathering

A saline‐spray artificial ageing test was used to simulate the effects produced in granites and sedimentary rocks (calcarenites, micrites and breccia) under conditions in coastal environments. Three main points were addressed in this study: the durability of the different kinds of rock to salt decay, the resulting weathering forms and the rock properties involved in the weathering processes. For this, mineralogical and textural characterization of each of the different rocks was carried out before and after the test. The soluble salt content at different depths from the exposed surfaces was also determined. Two different weathering mechanisms were observed in the granite and calcareous rocks. Physical processes were involved in the weathering of granite samples, whereas dissolution of calcite was also involved in the deterioration of the calcareous rocks. We also showed that microstructural characteristics (e.g. pore size distribution), play a key role in salt damage, because of their influence on saline solution transport and on the pressures developed within rocks during crystallization. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Rock-weathering by the lichen Lecidea auriculata in an arctic alpine environment

Scanning electron microscopy reveals that Lecidea auriculata penetrates rock surfaces, detaching, incorporating and expelling flakes of rock. Measurements on an age sequence of moraine ridges illustrate changes in the extent and intensity of weathering over time. A minimum rate of surface lowering (0·0012 mm a^?1) is 25 to 50 times faster than weathering due to other processes in the same area. The spatial pattern of weathering is influenced by the narrow ecological range of the species. Surface rocks on dry, exposed sites are probably weathering much more rapidly than those in adjacent damp hollows and beneath snowpatches.     

Petrological influence on differential weathering and inselberg development in the Kora area of central Kenya

In the Kora area of central Kenya domed inselbergs are well developed on outcrops of granitoid migmatite, while positive relief features are rare on the surrounding gneiss. Block-strewn, vegetated hills occur on restricted areas of granoblastite, gabbro, and metagabbro. Schmidt Hammer measurements have shown that the apparent differences in resistance to weathering and erosion are not due to variations in rock hardness, since all the rock types have similar ‘R’ values. The results of geochemical analyses have shown that the migmatites are significantly more potassic than the surrounding gneiss. Samples of migmatite from the inselbergs were also found to be slightly richer in potassium than migmatite samples from the inter-inselberg areas. The variations in potassium content probably reflect differences in protolith composition, chemical fractionation during partial melting, and the effects of metasomatism. These findings support earlier suggestions that, other things being equal, potassium-rich granitoid rocks weather more slowly than less potassic rocks.     

Weathering and erosion of fractured bedrock systems

We explore the contribution of fractures (joints) in controlling the rate of weathering advance for a low‐porosity rock by using methods of homogenization to create averaged weathering equations. The rate of advance of the weathering front can be expressed as the same rate observed in non‐fractured media (or in an individual block) divided by the volume fraction of non‐fractured blocks in the fractured parent material. In the model, the parent has fractures that are filled with a more porous material that contains only inert or completely weathered material. The low‐porosity rock weathers by reaction‐transport processes. As observed in field systems, the model shows that the weathering advance rate is greater for the fractured as compared to the analogous non‐fractured system because the volume fraction of blocks is < 1. The increase in advance rate is attributed both to the increase in weathered material that accompanies higher fracture density, and to the increase in exposure of surface of low‐porosity rock to reaction‐transport. For constant fracture aperture, the weathering advance rate increases when the fracture spacing decreases. Equations describing weathering advance rate are summarized in the ‘List of selected equations’. If erosion is imposed at a constant rate, the weathering systems with fracture‐bounded bedrock blocks attain a steady state. In the erosional transport‐limited regime, bedrock blocks no longer emerge at the air‐regolith boundary because they weather away. In the weathering‐limited (or kinetic) regime, blocks of various size become exhumed at the surface and the average size of these exposed blocks increases with the erosion rate. For convex hillslopes, the block size exposed at the surface increases downslope. This model can explain observations of exhumed rocks weathering in the Luquillo mountains of Puerto Rico. Published 2017. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA     

Near‐surface temperatures and heat balance of bare outcrops exposed to solar radiation

Subsurface temperatures in rocks naturally fluctuate under the influence of local meteorological conditions. These fluctuations play a role in mechanical weathering, thus creating the environmental conditions conducive to natural hazards such as rockfalls and providing important sediment source terms for landscape evolution. However, the physics that control heat penetration into rocks are not fully understood, which makes the underground thermal state difficult to interpret when temperature measurements are available and even more difficult to estimate for unmonitored sites. This is an important lacuna given possible impacts of future climate change on mechanical weathering processes. The natural daily variations of subsurface temperatures were investigated on a bare gneiss outcrop exposed to solar radiation, where temperatures at various depths (up to 50 cm), as well as the solar radiation reaching a pyranometer, were monitored hourly for several months. This detailed times series of thermal data was used to gain insight into the heat balance at the inclined free surface of the rock mass. Attention was focused on two major contributors to the heat balance; the heat flux entering the rock mass through conduction and the incoming shortwave (solar) radiation. A Fourier decomposition of the temperature measurements provided an estimate of the in situ thermal conductivity of the rock and was used to calculate the conductive term. The shortwave radiation term was determined on the basis of the pyranometer measurements adjusted to account for the angle of incidence of the sun. It is shown that, throughout clear‐sky periods, heat exchanges at the surface are mainly controlled by direct solar radiation during the day, and by a roughly constant outgoing heat flux during the night. Subsurface temperatures can be reliably estimated with a semi‐infinite medium model whose boundary condition is derived from an analytical insolation model that takes atmospheric attenuation into account. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Frost weathering and the saturation of coastal rocks

Measurements were made of the water content in coastal rocks, by simulating tidal oscillations in the laboratory, and by field measurement in eastern Canada. If rapid freezing takes place upon exposure to the air, saturation levels may be high enough to permit frost weathering in fine grained rocks in the lower portions of the intertidal zone. Near the high tidal level, however, it may be dependent upon a supply of water from the ice foot and from melting snow. If freezing is slow, frost action may be inhibited by desorption of the rocks while they are exposed by the ebb tide. There was no evidence of a level of permanent sea water saturation within the intertidal zone. Ambient temperature and humidity may affect the rate of rock desorption.     

Oxygen isotope evidence for submarine hydrothermal alteration of the Del Puerto ophiolite, California

The oxygen isotope compositions and metamorphic mineral assemblages of hydrothermally altered rocks from the Del Puerto ophiolite and overlying volcaniclastic sedimentary rocks at the base of the Great Valley sequence indicate that their alteration occurred in a submarine hydrothermal system. Whole rock δ¹⁸O compositions decrease progressively down section (with increasing metamorphic grade): +22.4‰ (SMOW) to +13.8 for zeolite-bearing volcaniclastic sedimentary rocks overlying the ophiolite; +19.6 to +11.6 for pumpellyite-bearing metavolcanic rocks in the upper part of the ophiolite's volcanic member; +12.3 to +8.1 for epidote-bearing metavolcanic rocks in the lower part of the volcanic member; +8.5 to +5.7 for greenschist facies rocks from the ophiolite's plutonic member; +7.6 to +5.8 for amphibolite facies or unmetamorphosed rocks from the plutonic member.

Modelling of fluid-rock interaction in the Del Puerto ophiolite indicates that the observed pattern of upward enrichment in whole rock δ¹⁸O can be best explained by isotopic exchange with discharging¹⁸O-shifted seawater at fluid/rock mass ratios near 2 and temperatures below 500°C.¹⁸O-depleted plutonic rocks necessarily produced during hydrothermal circulation were later removed as a result of tectonism. Submarine weathering and later burial metamorphism at the base of the Great Valley sequence cannot by itself have produced the zonation of hydrothermal minerals and the corresponding variations in oxygen isotope compositions. The pervasive zeolite and prehnite-pumpellyite facies mineral assemblages found in the Del Puerto ophiolite may reflect its origin near an island arc rather than deep ocean spreading center.     

A new method for determining weathering rates in weathering pits

Determining the rates of rock weathering is difficult because, firstly, the weathering rate of rocks is usually so slow that it is difficult to measure; secondly, it is also difficult to determine the start time and duration of weathering. The Shanxi River Valley in Fujian, China dried up after a reservoir was built upstream in 1959, and became a stone quarry site. Quarrying ceased in 1977, so a large amount of quarry wastes with artificially excavated surfaces were left in the valley. The concave-upward curved rocky surface, broken by manual excavation, easily contains rainwater in its central part, which was easily weathered into a more concave surface. Plaster mould casting was performed in situ on such a concave surface of an excavated stone rock in the valley and scanned with a high-precision 3D scanner to obtain 3D data of the concave-upward rock surface and its more concave middle part, which was considered as an initial weathering pit. The 3D model provided an in-depth understanding of the initial formation process of weathering pits, indicating that: (1) the average weathering rate of a weathering pit is 10.8 ± 0.49 cm ka⁻¹; (2) weathering pits are generally formed by standing water in depressions on a flat near-horizontal rock surface due to weathering actions involving water; (3) the deepening rate of a weathering pit is about four times greater than that of the surrounding area; (4) the growth of a weathering pit can begin in some small concavities on the flat rock surface without pre-existing depressions and gradually expands; (5) a weathering pit is generally wider than deep or with a flat bottom due to expansion with a lateral weathering rate that is greater than that of the vertical, and the lamination of the host rock is not necessary for the formation of flat-floored weathering pits. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.