andrewfuller62
Tessellated Pavement III
Another from my series whilst holidaying on the Tasman Peninsula, this one shows the Tessellated Pavement just above the usual high tide mark, where the bus have begun to be covered by lichens (the orange) and the cracks have begun to be invaded by plant life, such as grasses.
This looks across to Fossil Island and the headland where the Tasman Arch and the Blowhole are situated.
A tessellated pavement is a rare erosional feature formed in flat-lying sedimentary rock formations that occurs on some ocean shores. It is so named because the rock has fractured into regular rectangular blocks that appear like tiles, or tessellations. The cracks (or joints) were formed when the rock fractured through the action of stress on the Earth's crust and were subsequently modified by sand and wave action.
The Tessellated Pavement at Eaglehawk Neck on the Tasman Peninsula consists of two types of formations, a pan formation, and a loaf formation.
The pan formation is a series of concave depressions in the rock, and typically forms further away from the seashore. As a result, this part of the pavement dries out more at low tide, and allows salt crystals to develop further, resulting in salt forming on the surface, and eroding the surface more quickly than at the joints. As a result, the surface of the "pans" erodes more quickly, while the joints erode more slowly, resulting in the concave pan.
The loaf formations occur on the parts of the pavement closer to the seashore, and as a result, are immersed in water for longer. These parts of the pavement do not dry out as much, reducing the level of salt crystallisation. Water carries abrasive sand, and the water is typically channelled through the joints, resulting in the joints eroding faster than the rest of the pavement, resulting in loaf-like structures protruding.
© Andrew Fuller. This image remains the property of Andrew Fuller, and as such, may not be used or reproduced in any form, in part or in whole, without my prior, express permission.
Tessellated Pavement III
Another from my series whilst holidaying on the Tasman Peninsula, this one shows the Tessellated Pavement just above the usual high tide mark, where the bus have begun to be covered by lichens (the orange) and the cracks have begun to be invaded by plant life, such as grasses.
This looks across to Fossil Island and the headland where the Tasman Arch and the Blowhole are situated.
A tessellated pavement is a rare erosional feature formed in flat-lying sedimentary rock formations that occurs on some ocean shores. It is so named because the rock has fractured into regular rectangular blocks that appear like tiles, or tessellations. The cracks (or joints) were formed when the rock fractured through the action of stress on the Earth's crust and were subsequently modified by sand and wave action.
The Tessellated Pavement at Eaglehawk Neck on the Tasman Peninsula consists of two types of formations, a pan formation, and a loaf formation.
The pan formation is a series of concave depressions in the rock, and typically forms further away from the seashore. As a result, this part of the pavement dries out more at low tide, and allows salt crystals to develop further, resulting in salt forming on the surface, and eroding the surface more quickly than at the joints. As a result, the surface of the "pans" erodes more quickly, while the joints erode more slowly, resulting in the concave pan.
The loaf formations occur on the parts of the pavement closer to the seashore, and as a result, are immersed in water for longer. These parts of the pavement do not dry out as much, reducing the level of salt crystallisation. Water carries abrasive sand, and the water is typically channelled through the joints, resulting in the joints eroding faster than the rest of the pavement, resulting in loaf-like structures protruding.
© Andrew Fuller. This image remains the property of Andrew Fuller, and as such, may not be used or reproduced in any form, in part or in whole, without my prior, express permission.