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Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms pp 231–236Cite as

Cavernous Weathering Features

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Definition

Formation of micro- to macroscale cavities on the rock surface by selective hollowing out of rock outcrops and boulders.

Category

A type of rock weathering features.

Synonyms

Alveolar weathering (alveoli); Honeycomb weathering (honeycombs); Stone lace; Stone lattice; Tafoni

Description

Cavernous weathering may form solitary cavities or pseudo-regular structures of cavities separated by (sometimes very thin) walls on the surface of rocks. The terms “honeycomb weathering,” “stone lace,” or “stone lattice” are derived from the appearance of these peculiar patterns. The cavities can vary from centimeter to meter scale in width/diameter (see Subtypes). In a mature stage of weathering, the separated alveoli may coalesce and form bigger cavities due to the loss of walls. The orientation of cavities often follows the direction of bedding planes in sedimentary rocks and seems to be influenced also by gravity (Mikuláš 2001; McBride and Picard 2004). Mikuláš (2001) distinguishes...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. TU Dresden, Institute of Geotechnical Engineering, 01062, Dresden, Germany

    Heiner Siedel

Authors
  1. Heiner Siedel
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Correspondence to Heiner Siedel .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. NASA Ames Research Center/NPP, Moffett Field, CA, USA

    Henrik Hargitai

  2. Konkoly Thege Miklos Astronomical Institute, Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences, Budapest, Hungary

    Ákos Kereszturi

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Siedel, H. (2015). Cavernous Weathering Features. In: Hargitai, H., Kereszturi, Á. (eds) Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3134-3_54

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