And let us make this the last on this subject and get back to Hunterdon County Genealogy. Thanks, Al List Administrator ----- Original Message ----- From: "Lawrence Rush" <LarryRush@worldnet.att.net> To: <NJHUNTER-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, May 29, 2005 2:58 PM Subject: Re: [NJHUNTER] shaving cream on tombstones > As a geologist (and a genealogist), may I add a few comments: > > Rock weathering is dependent upon many processes, natural and man-made. In > general, weathering will depend not only on the type of rock, but also on > the direction of grain (or cut). Weathering is affected by natural events, > such as amount of rainfall, climate, frost action, sunlight, the overgrowth > of vegetative matter, etc. Add to that, smog, acid rain, and auto exhaust, > and you've got a chemical stew that can erode any rock in time. Some New > England brownstones have lasted over 200 years and are very legible, while > some engraved marbles cannot be discerned after 100 years. Some components > in granite can weather in as little as 50 years, while some quartz rich > slates are very durable in the same time frame. Most importantly,when one > studies geology, man's time becomes a negligible aspect; there is nothing > anyone can do to make man's achievements last more than a few lifetimes, > (the pyramids excepted) and certainly it all becomes academic after tens or > hundreds of millions of years! > > It seems rather silly to me to be concerned with the effect of a one-time > application of a mild soap, such as shaving cream, especially when it is > rinsed off afterwards. No matter what we do to preserve our human efforts, > it all is futile when placed in relation to geologic time. This is not a > despondant, nihilistic view, just a realistic one! > > Larry Rush > > > > > > -- > Internal Virus Database is out-of-date. > Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. > Version: 7.0.300 / Virus Database: 265.6.3 - Release Date: 12/21/04 > > > ==== NJHUNTER Mailing List ==== > This mail list is archived at: > http://newsarch.rootsweb.com/th/index/NJHUNTER > > ============================== > Jumpstart your genealogy with OneWorldTree. Search not only for > ancestors, but entire generations. Learn more: > http://www.ancestry.com/s13972/rd.ashx > >