El Yunque rock, an icon of Puerto Rico, is eroding more slowly than expected, geologists discover
Wednesday, November 21, 2012 - 09:02
in Earth & Climate
(Phys.org)—El Yunque rock is a majestic, anvil-shaped promontory that has been an icon of the island of Puerto Rico since pre-Columbian times. The barren rock, standing 3,412 feet high, protrudes above primary old growth forest and is enshrouded in clouds, swept constantly by the trade winds and frequently stricken by hurricanes. The rock receives an average of three rain showers a day and more than 14 feet of rain every year. Given Puerto Rico's warm and dynamic tropical climate, El Yunque should be covered with vegetation and eroding rapidly. Yet the rock appears to have escaped this geological fate.