When Virginia Dale and her team of researchers arrived on the slopes of Mount St. Helens after the eruption, they made many preliminary observations. A majority of the vegetation, such as trees, bushes, and grass, was destroyed. While the surface was covered with ash from the eruption, it was more exposed to the many processes of weathering. Over the next 30 years, Virginia and her team observed and monitored these weathering processes to determine their effects on the vegetation and animals which repopulated this mountain ecosystem.
In this activity, you will experiment with a variety of weathering processes in order to understand the different types of weathering and the factors that may affect the rate at which they happen. Then, you will go outside and look for signs of weathering in your local area. Based on your observations, you will develop models for what this area may look like in the future.