Weathering or Ozymandias

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Weathering or Ozymandias
Photo Information
Copyright: James Parker (Jamesp) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1223 W: 0 N: 4449] (13290)
Genre: Landscapes
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2003-09-16
Categories: Desert
Exposure: f/9.5, 1/350 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2007-11-26 9:06
Viewed: 909
Points: 44
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
I posted this shot taken with a Kodak LS443 fo show the effects of weathering on the world of people. This blind pedimented window was carved into the rock wall near the Siq (a slot canyon giving entrance into Petra). The processes have been active for about 2000 years. Water has flown down the rock from time to time, but the main processes are those of weathering. I made refernce to Ozymandias - a poem by Percy Byshe Shelley - the whole point of which is - the transience of the human world (I quote it below).

Weathering is the decomposition of rocks, soils and their minerals through direct contact with the Earth's atmosphere. Weathering occurs in situ, or "with no movement", and thus should not to be confused with erosion, which involves the movement and disintegration of rocks and minerals by agents such as water, ice, wind and gravity.

Two important classifications of weathering processes exist. Mechanical or physical weathering involves the breakdown of rocks and soils through direct contact with atmospheric conditions such as heat, water, ice and pressure. The second classification, chemical weathering, involves the direct effect of atmospheric chemicals, or biologically produced chemicals (also known as biological weathering), in the breakdown of rocks, soils and minerals.

The materials left over after the rock breaks down combined with organic material creates soil. The mineral content of the soil is determined by the parent material, thus a soil derived from a single rock type can often be deficient in one or more minerals for good fertility, while a soil weathered from a mix of rock types (as in glacial, eolian or alluvial sediments) often makes more fertile soil.

PHYSICAL (mechanical) weathering
Mechanical weathering is the cause of the disintegration of rocks. The primary process in mechanical weathering is abrasion - the process by which clasts and other particles are reduced in size. However, chemical and physical weathering often go hand in hand. For example, cracks exploited by mechanical weathering will increase the surface area exposed to chemical action. Furthermore, the chemical action at minerals in cracks can aid the disintegration process.

OZYMANDIAS
I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,
Half sunk, a shatter'd visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamp'd on these lifeless things,
The hand that mock'd them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains: round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Percy Byssh Shelley 1818
Arjun, XOTAELE, eqshannon, taba, Heaven, earthtraveler, nglen, rousettus, Adam73, vanderschelden, bobair, Evelynn, marhowie, haraprasan, angybone, cataclysta, horia has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To bobair: RockJamesp 1 11-28 23:07
To JPlumb: Scale and surfaceJamesp 1 11-27 04:09
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Critiques [Translate]

Excepcional imagen con unos colores estupendos, buenos tonos y nota.
Un cordial saludo, JL.

  • Great 
  • Arjun Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 288 W: 3 N: 670] (3136)
  • [2007-11-26 9:30]

hi,
wonderfful picture.very nice details in the pic.lovelu composition.nice rock composition.
tfs

  • Great 
  • taba Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 455 W: 126 N: 258] (1438)
  • [2007-11-26 9:39]

Hi James
great colors..
great sharpness and fine details...
the window is awesome... I just saw it when reading your note...
vry good capture.
Taba

Hi James!

A suprising picture you show us here. Half nature, half made by the hands of human beings. And the nature wins over us... As if it would remind us how things are!

I like it very much!

Kind regards

Markus

Hi James,
Beautiful shot of these rocks.
Lovely color and pattern.
TFS
Richard

  • Great 
  • nglen Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1864 W: 2 N: 4738] (18250)
  • [2007-11-26 12:02]

Hi James. From the small picture it looked like an xray of a back bone.. What a fantastic picture the detail and colours in the rocks are first classs.we never know what coming next from you. Great notes to go with the picture. well done TFS.
Nick..
PS are you home again yet.

  • Great 
  • Norte Silver Star Critiquer/Silver Note Writer [C: 33 W: 0 N: 45] (184)
  • [2007-11-26 12:09]

Hi!
Interesting and also very good picture.
Fine composition and good colors.
Note is good too!
TFS
Best regards,
Jon

Hi James,
In 2006 June, we visited shortly this famous city. It is excellent historical place on rocks. You presented a details from this site with great focus and composition and also informative beautiful notes. thanks for sharing us. best wishes
Ahmet

  • Great 
  • Adam73 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 209 W: 5 N: 500] (2069)
  • [2007-11-26 13:44]

Very beautiful image showing Mothernature at it's finest. Great colors and exposure.

Hello James,
Abstract nature with beautiful colors and tones.
Well done
TFS
Annick

Hi James,
this is an interesting photo you have graced TN with today.Yesterday I was looking at Petra photos on various websites and so it is a surprise for me to see yours.I find that the colours in this shot to be the most outstanding aspect of your shot,that and the way the pedimented window is disappearing.I did not see any photos like it yesterday.Good focus,details and especially colour make this an enjoyable view.The name Petra is really the best name for this place as Petra means rock,literally.Thanks for sharing this photo of nature riding itself of our works,most interesting. Bob

  • Great 
  • demeve Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 505 W: 8 N: 1023] (3786)
  • [2007-11-26 22:22]

Hello James,
Very nice colors of the rock

Everton

This is gorgeous James. I LOVE the colors and patterns. It is pure art. I've seen photos of Petra but never such colors. It's wonderful.

TFS
Evelynn : )

  • Great 
  • joey Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1555 W: 233 N: 5091] (17959)
  • [2007-11-27 2:28]

Wow! What beautiful colours and patterns!
I love the detail and texture.
Very sharp with great clarity.
Excellent notes to accompany.
Well done James.
Cheers,
Joe

Hi James,
Excellent image, excellent notes..I enjoyed the poem by Shelley.
Very nice details, colors, and exposure, with the effects of time and weathering clearly seen..Interesting post :)
Howard

Hi James,
A beautiful capture of these patterns on rock. Lovely composition and details. Thanks a lot for sharing.

Hi James, it's been declared a World Heritage Site, to protect it, but that is of course only protection from man. As you have shown us here, it is only a matter of time before it all weathers away; (of course it will seem like a long time for me). I'm having a difficult time with scale. How tall would this be in your shot? The stratification and it's subsequent weathering look different from what I'm used to, with a shiny surface. Is this "shine" part of the process? Very interesting. Great shot with great colour and you've left me with questions, which isn't a bad thing either.

Thanks, John

Very cool Jim......I am going to show my wife later today. She is the geologist...I am the "mystical" one. There is more than the wonderful colored complex patterns..something highly symbolic...this is my ballpark. I love it..and now my wife removes part of the historic mystery for me. No space for what she said with exception to agreeing that this is a super picture. We both agreed on that.
See U Later!
Bob

Fascinating!
Wonderfully captured...it's not easy to take this subject and make it so artistically profound. Excellent work.

Hi James
Very unusual subject. Great texture on rock.Great educational but also very aesthetic presentation and good informative note
Best wishes
Krzysztof

  • Great 
  • horia Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2070 W: 214 N: 3542] (11790)
  • [2007-12-02 6:38]

Hi James

I've been very busy this past week, working on some projects and also taking a very small trip, so i'm way behind with my critiques on TN. It looks like the same situation for the next week as well, so please accept my apologies for missing out on your lovely photos.
However, i had to make some time this weekend (a very bit) and i had to see what you've been posting lately :)
This is one amazing shot and very interesting phenomenon. I really like both shots you posted about these unique rocks actually.
The patterns here are impressive and the geometry of the lines in the frame is fascinating and hypnotizing - straight and curvy, vertical and horizontal, overlapping each other and creating this impressive mosaic. My congratulations to you for managing to put all that in one frame and to create this composition.

Bravo and TFS
Horia

Hello James.

Excellent picture, nice composition and colors.

Regards.

Jose Luis.

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