Centuries Ago Quarrymen Learned That When Quarrying Granite It Was

Multiple Choice

Centuries ago quarrymen learned that when quarrying granite it was usually easiest to break the rock along a nearly horizontal surface. We now know this arises because ______.

A) chemical weathering of granite makes the material expand, pulling it away from the underlying rock
B) uplift and exhumation of granites produces an unloading, which produces sheeting joints like the quarrymen used
C) frost wedging for hundreds of thousands to millions of years have produced cracks parallel to the ground surface
D) it was a false observation; the quarrymen in those days couldn't measure resistance, and it just seemed easier to wedge blocks of this type