This photo was taken at the top of the Takaka Hill walkway. In the distance, rain is coming in over the mountains west of Takaka. Marble is formed when limestone is subjected to heat and pressure. As with limestone, water corrodes marble, although it’s a slower process with marble than with limestone. Carbon dioxide in the rain reacts with calcium carbonate in the rock, forming calcium bicarbonate that dissolves the rock and washes away. Over time, this causes fluting called “karren”, and the overall rocky outcrops and rugged landscape is called a “karst” landscape.
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