Tafoni are globally developed on cliffy slopes,and many of them are favorable places for the preservation of stone historical relics.However,the characteristics and formation processes of tafoni in the Loess Plateau a...Tafoni are globally developed on cliffy slopes,and many of them are favorable places for the preservation of stone historical relics.However,the characteristics and formation processes of tafoni in the Loess Plateau are yet to be understood.This paper studied the features of the tafoni on conglomerate slopes in Huoshizhai National Geopark of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and discussed its formation processes by field investigation and morphometry,insitu relative humidity(RH)measurement,salt chemistry and X-ray fluorescence spectrometer(XRF)experiments of 24 samples.The bedrock of the tafoni is dominated by reddish fluvial conglomerates of the Lower Cretaceous Heshangpu Formation with abundant chemically unstable components including feldspars,lithic fragments,and calcite cements.The RH values vary from 5%to 100%,but the backwalls of the tafoni have higher RH values than outer surfaces.The more moisture on the backwalls is possibly generated by water influx from the rock interior,resulting in more salt precipitation on the backwalls.As a result,the backwalls have been subject to predominant salt weathering.The dominant salts involved in salt weathering are probably derived from the dissolution of the salt interbeds in the basin,although the chemical dissolution of the unstable components such as feldspars,lithic fragments,and calcite cements might have produced small amounts of salts.The salt types dominantly include nitrates,sulfates,and halite.In the progression of tafoni,the moisture maintenance on the backwalls gives rise to the accretion of salts,which in turn enhance the weathering rates of the backwalls.As a result,the volumes of the tafoni have become enlarged owing to inward growth and coalescence of adjacent smaller ones.展开更多
Cavernous weathering is commonly found on sandstone slopes in different environments. Either a single dominant process or polygenetic agents require to be invoked in order to interpret the development. The Yongningsha...Cavernous weathering is commonly found on sandstone slopes in different environments. Either a single dominant process or polygenetic agents require to be invoked in order to interpret the development. The Yongningshan hill of the central Loess Plateau is representative of cliff dwellings in Northwest China, which is characterized by well-developed cavernous weathering features and provides a good opportunity for the better understanding of sandstone weathering in the Loess Plateau. Multiple methods, including field survey, in-situ rock strength measurement, along with experiments on samples for microscopic observation, element composition and salt chemistry, were employed to investigate the controlling factors of cavernous weathering. The results show that cavern development is different on the four slopes with the western slope hosting massive honeycombs, tafoni and hardened surfaces. The porous and permeable aeolian sandstones are fundamental, because they provide space and pathways for the transportation of water and salt, honeycombs dominantly aligning within the lamination of cross-beds. The environmental factors such as the seasonal wetting and drying cycle, aeolian salt, moisture and water vapor are key factors for the development of cavernous weathering forms. The northern and northwestern wind-blown dust storms have brought abundant salts, the lengthier dry periods of the wetting and drying cycle being beneficial for salt accumulation within caverns, favoring salt weathering.展开更多
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.42361002)the Fund of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region(Grant No.2022AAC03665).
文摘Tafoni are globally developed on cliffy slopes,and many of them are favorable places for the preservation of stone historical relics.However,the characteristics and formation processes of tafoni in the Loess Plateau are yet to be understood.This paper studied the features of the tafoni on conglomerate slopes in Huoshizhai National Geopark of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and discussed its formation processes by field investigation and morphometry,insitu relative humidity(RH)measurement,salt chemistry and X-ray fluorescence spectrometer(XRF)experiments of 24 samples.The bedrock of the tafoni is dominated by reddish fluvial conglomerates of the Lower Cretaceous Heshangpu Formation with abundant chemically unstable components including feldspars,lithic fragments,and calcite cements.The RH values vary from 5%to 100%,but the backwalls of the tafoni have higher RH values than outer surfaces.The more moisture on the backwalls is possibly generated by water influx from the rock interior,resulting in more salt precipitation on the backwalls.As a result,the backwalls have been subject to predominant salt weathering.The dominant salts involved in salt weathering are probably derived from the dissolution of the salt interbeds in the basin,although the chemical dissolution of the unstable components such as feldspars,lithic fragments,and calcite cements might have produced small amounts of salts.The salt types dominantly include nitrates,sulfates,and halite.In the progression of tafoni,the moisture maintenance on the backwalls gives rise to the accretion of salts,which in turn enhance the weathering rates of the backwalls.As a result,the volumes of the tafoni have become enlarged owing to inward growth and coalescence of adjacent smaller ones.
基金jointly financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41772197, 41761002)the Project of Evaluation Research and the Protection and Utilization of the Danxia Landscape in Yan’an City (Grant No. 201901)。
文摘Cavernous weathering is commonly found on sandstone slopes in different environments. Either a single dominant process or polygenetic agents require to be invoked in order to interpret the development. The Yongningshan hill of the central Loess Plateau is representative of cliff dwellings in Northwest China, which is characterized by well-developed cavernous weathering features and provides a good opportunity for the better understanding of sandstone weathering in the Loess Plateau. Multiple methods, including field survey, in-situ rock strength measurement, along with experiments on samples for microscopic observation, element composition and salt chemistry, were employed to investigate the controlling factors of cavernous weathering. The results show that cavern development is different on the four slopes with the western slope hosting massive honeycombs, tafoni and hardened surfaces. The porous and permeable aeolian sandstones are fundamental, because they provide space and pathways for the transportation of water and salt, honeycombs dominantly aligning within the lamination of cross-beds. The environmental factors such as the seasonal wetting and drying cycle, aeolian salt, moisture and water vapor are key factors for the development of cavernous weathering forms. The northern and northwestern wind-blown dust storms have brought abundant salts, the lengthier dry periods of the wetting and drying cycle being beneficial for salt accumulation within caverns, favoring salt weathering.
