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planes in granite

Stone Conversations : Archive 10 : Message 00499

From: Norman Watts <Norman_Watts@zzzzzzz>
Date: Fri, 16 Dec 2005 13:01:38 -0500
Subject: planes in granite

On Dec 16, 2005, at 12:24 PM, John Vancamp wrote:

Quoted text begins.Those curved sheets of granite you see on the weathered granite domes
are an erosional feature call exfoliation.  Very common in granite.
Results from the surface heating and expanding during the day, and
cooling back down at night.
End of quote.


John, I don't think this is exfoliation, because these layers are very
thick. In the photo in front of me I can pick out planes that are 2 to
20 ft thick and extend at least 60 ft down from the original surface of
the dome. And I know there are more below the bottom edge of the
picture. I have a human on top for scale.

Norman Watts, Ph. D.
National Institutes of Health
50 South Drive, Rm. 1509
Bethesda, MD 20892-8025
Phone: (301) 402-3418
Fax: (301) 480-7629

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