Title:
Monitoring of rapid salt weathering in the central Namib Desert using limestone blocks
Publication Year:
1997
Abstract:
Pre-weighed blocks of a Jurassic Limestone were exposed on the ground surface in the coastal Namib Desert for a period of 2 years. The environment is both salty and foggy. Some of the blocks suffered extensive disintegration, and laboratory analyses (including geochemistry, XRD and SEM) indicate that the weathered samples have a high halite (sodium chloride) content. Cycles of wetting and drying associated with the frequent fog events of the area cause cycles of halite crystallization. Rocks exposed at the surface absorb salts from the surrounding desert surface and then disintegrate, contributing to planation of the landscape. Keywords: salt weathering, fog, deserts, planation, Namib.
Publication Title:
Journal of Arid Environments
Volume:
37
Issue:
4
Pages:
581-598
Item Type:
Journal Article
Language:
en

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