Magnolia Cemetery Field Trip:
The three hypotheses

In south-central Louisiana, making observation of rocks is difficult, since most of south Louisiana is 'lithologically challenged' - we simply have very little hard rock to look at. So, the ideal place is a local cemetery, in this case, the Magnolia Cemetery near downtown Baton Rouge.

Students developed three hypotheses regarding weathering:

Hypothesis 1: Amount of weathering is dependent on the type of rock present. Marble is more resistant than granite.

Hypothesis 2: Exposure to the factors influencing weathering varies with the position of the stone. Horizontal stones are more weathered than vertical stones.

Hypothesis 3: Length of exposure influences the severity of waethering. Legibility of engraving decreases with time.

Students then traveled to Magnolia Cemetery (the Tuesday before Halloween) to make and record their observations.