Lichen Bioweathering: Etch-Pit Formation

Lichens are not just rock decoration — the fungal partner in the symbiosis actively dissolves the mineral surface it grows on. This simulator models a patch of granite feldspar grains being colonized by crustose lichen thalli that expand radially at a realistic lichenometric growth rate, secreting oxalic acid that chelates metal cations from the mineral lattice. Each grain's etch-pit depth is integrated from Arrhenius-controlled dissolution kinetics, so temperature and acid output both change how fast — and how deep — the rock is chemically weathered, while live readouts track colonized area, mean pit depth, and cumulative mineral mass lost.