How long does it take to undress a rock?

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RichardCullip
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Re: How long does it take to undress a rock?

Post by RichardCullip »

I would guess it decomposed fairly rapidly - geologically speaking. It looks to be a glacial erratic left on that glacially polished granite. As a retired sedimentary geologist I'm not up-to-date on the glacial history of the High Sierra but, if I recall correctly, the last major glacial activity in the Sierra ended about 10,000 years ago. I suspect that that rock has been eroding ever since - so give it 10,000 years plus or minus a bit. A blink of an eye geologically speaking.
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Re: How long does it take to undress a rock?

Post by Wandering Daisy »

Well, I am also a "card carrying geologist" (professional licenses for Wyoming and California). However, my work career was mainly in groundwater in boring places like the Central Valley. :crybaby: My generic answer to the question would be it varies a lot due to the amount of surface area exposed to weathering and the "strength" of weathering due to location. Other factors like acid rain also play a role. But geologic processes are usually much slower than the average person deals with.
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