Salt Lake City Cemetery

Geological Significance

Giovanna Pizarro
Geology 1010
December 2, 2017
 The Salt Lake City Cemetery provides several geological significance. Even though the site is

just a cemetery, the tombstone itself provides great examples of geology. An example of geology

in a cemetery would be the gravestones and how they were weathered out. Weathering is define

by the break down of rocks into a sediment form(Earth Sciences: Londons Geology).

Depending on the rock type, each weathering pattern is different from on another. The key

patterns of weathering in gravestones are chemical, physical and biological weathering. Some

gravestone can share the multiple types of weathering pattern. If the cemetery is observe well,

you are able to find some geological significance in the tombstone itself.

Chemical weathering occurs within the rocks when they are chemically altered. There are

three reaction of chemical weathering, which are oxidation, hydrolysis, and carbonation.

Oxidation is another way for saying that rocks/minerals react with oxygen. Which happens to

change the composition of the mineral in the rock. An example would be iron in the minerals

which make up some rocks or which cements rock particles together, will oxides (or rust) if water

and air are present (Tymon, A. (2012). Weathering on gravestones). Usually in sandstone,

oxidation happens to turn the stone into a brown color, based on the iron that happens to be

made up in the stone. Oxidation can also be represented in another from of chemical weathering

when oxygen get combined with other elements in the rock that start to oxides. An example of

iron chemical reaction is 3fe^+2SiO3 (pyroxene) + 1/2O2 (Oxygen) = Fe3O4 (magnetite) +

3SiO2 (quartz). Hydrolysis which involves water and some time rainwater which is slightly acidic

because the rain water picks up carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that reacts with some minerals.

This causing them to decompose making the other mineral weaker. Physical features of

hydrolysis on gravestone are either mineral turns to powdery clay or grainy salts. An example
would be the crystals that are found in granite. Granite feldspar crystals are white and will usually

break down faster than the quartz crystal in the granite leaving it to become grayer. Basically Na

feldspar and K feldspar undergo hydrolysis to form kaolinite (clay) and Na + and K + ions. The

quartz (and muscovite that may be present) remain as residual minerals due to their high

weathering resistance and then biotite/amphibole undergo hydrolysis to form clay, and oxidation

to form iron oxides. The weathered rock fragments become constituents of the soil (Earth

Sciences: Londons Geology). Carbonation is the process when the mineral of a rock reacts with

carbonic acid. Carbonic acid is normally created when water is combined with carbon dioxide.

In rock carbonic acid generally break down or dissolve the minerals in the rock. Example of

carbonation formula is CO2 + H2O = >H2CO3 (carbon dioxide + water = carbonic acid) and

CaCo3 + H2Co3 => Ca^+2 + 2HCO3- (Calcite + Carbonic acid => calcium +

Bicarbonate) (Soil Genesis and Development).

Physical characteristics of physical weathering are cracking, chipping, parting, sheeting,

fracturing and flacking. Mechanical also known as physical weathering breaks down stone

without any chemical alterations. There are two main types of mechanical weathering, which are

expansion-contraction and freeze-thaw weathering. Expansion-contraction weathering occurs

when heat from the sun cause the rock to expand and contract. The outer part of the rock will

expand during high day time temperatures and will rapidly cool at night. This reaction cause

stress in there rock and by doing so makes the rock to slowly produce cracks. The other type is

freeze-thaw weathering which is also know as frost-shattering weathering. This type of

weathering depends on the expansion of water when it starts to freeze into ice. Normally this

only affect rock in climates that have temperatures around freezing-points. When water enters the

cracks, pores and joints of the rock it will start to expand by freezing and will forcibly push the
rocks apart. This reaction results involved rocks to become broken and normally fall due to

gravity. An example would be picture 1, with the gravestone that broken in half.

Biological weathering features are usually lichens, moss, or the ground becoming unleveled.

Physical appearance of a gravestone that affect the stone itself are animals, and plants. Most

common form of biological weathering involves lichen and moss. Moss and lichen attach

themselves to the rock surface and by doing so allows them to take in moisture and nutrients from

the air. "Lichen are normally rich in chelating agents, which help it bond to iron and other kind

of metal rocks (How Does Weathering Affect Monuments). This leaves the stone to become

weak and is vulnerable to cracks and wears. An example of lichen on a graves then look at

picture 6.Another biological type involving plants are roots. Some plant in roots at gravestone can

penetrate small space in the gravestone or the roots could make the gravestone become unleveled

or toppled.

It is now shown that the Salt Lake City Cemetery can provide some geological significance in

geology. Even though there are just tombstone at the site, the tombstone are made of rock and

with rock present you can always find some geological significance even though its small. By

carefully studying the patterns of weathering, you are able to evaluate which gravestone was

affect by which type of weathering. With a site that provides little bit of geological features, you

still can find some features by looking at the gravestone, that provides hidden features of geology.
 Bibliography

1. Physical, chemical and biological, London. (n.d.). Retrieved December 06, 2017, from

https://www.geolsoc.org.uk/ks3/gsl/education/resources/rockcycle/page3718.html

2. How Does Weathering Affect Monuments? (n.d.). Retrieved December 06, 2017, from

https://sciencing.com/weathering-affect-monuments-4324.html

3. Earth Sciences: London's Geology. (n.d.). Retrieved December 06, 2017, from https://

www.ucl.ac.uk/earth-sciences/impact/geology/london/citycemetery/weathering/

classification

4. Tymon, A. (2012). Weathering on gravestones - West Yorkshire Geology Trust ... Retrieved

December 6, 2017, from http://www.bing.com/cr?

IG=C21778BF4646459A955420861DC19150&CID=284D0A72D60A62822CB60122D7C

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The huge split in the stone was affected by
Freeze-thaw weathering. This affects the
rock when temperatures are around
freezing-points. Physical is the type of
weathering shown here.
This images shows that the gravestone has
cracks, chips and is flaking, which
indicated that this is cause by physical
weathering.
 This tombstone also has two
different types of weathering.
Which are chemical and biological
weathering based on the inscription
becoming difficult to read and the
unleveling of the ground that made
the tomb slant downwards to the
right.

This marble gravestone has

examples of both chemical and
physical weathering, based on the
chipping, flaking, cracks, and the
readability of the inscriptions is
fading away.
 The tombstone shows
markers of pitting, grooves
and grainy salts, which in fact
indicates the this is caused by
chemical weathering. Could
also have biological effects
based on the lichen or moss
present in the wood.

This sandstone gravestone

indicated that is has both
physical and biological
weathering. Based on the
fractures and the lichens that
are growing on top.