page_title: Tafoni
hierarchical_section_title: Tafoni
caption_attribution_description: English: Tafone at Salt Point State Park, Sonoma County, California
context_page_description: Although various definitions can be found in the scientific literature, tafoni are commonly defined as small to large cavity features that develop in either natural or manmade, vertical to steeply sloping, exposures of granular rock with smooth concave walls, and often round rims and openings. Recognized subcategories of tafoni include honeycomb, stonelace, alveolar, sidewall, basal, nested, and relic tafoni. It is also commonly synonymous with nido d’ape roccioso in Italian.
  The etymology of the word tafoni is unclear. Tafoni may come from the Greek word taphos, tomb, or it may stem from a Corsican or Sicilian word for holes, taffoni, or from tafonare meaning to perforate. The earliest known publication of the term tafoni was in 1882.
context_section_description: Although various definitions can be found in the scientific literature, tafoni (singular: tafone) are commonly defined as small (less than 1 cm (0.39 in)) to large (greater than 1 meter (3.3 ft)) cavity features that develop in either natural or manmade, vertical to steeply sloping, exposures of granular rock (i.e., granite, sandstone) with smooth concave walls, and often round rims and openings. Recognized subcategories of tafoni include honeycomb, stonelace, alveolar (less than 2 cm (0.79 in)), sidewall, basal, nested, and relic tafoni. It is also commonly synonymous with nido d’ape roccioso in Italian.
  The etymology of the word tafoni is unclear. Tafoni may come from the Greek word taphos, tomb, or it may stem from a Corsican or Sicilian word for holes, taffoni, or from tafonare meaning to perforate. The earliest known publication of the term tafoni was in 1882.
caption: Tafoni at Salt Point State Park, Sonoma County, California.
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