Tag Archives: shale

To my knowledge, tafoni weathering has hardly been described in rocks at high altitudes in the Swiss Alps. But last summer I came across fine examples in a series of young, slightly metamorphic shales and marlstones of Tertiary age at altitudes of about 2700 m in Brigels, which is in the eastern canton of Graubünden. This summer I set out to investigate more closely. To my joy, tafoni could be observed “everywhere” connected to very exposed peaks and promontories, constituting an important part of the breaking-up of the rocks. Importantly, in the dry summer, salt efflorescence could also be observed “everywhere” related to tafoni formation. Here’s a brief report. Continue reading →