Cupules are widely believed to be the world's most common rock art motifs, found in huge numbers in every continent except Antarctica.

[12] Replication studies have shown that the time required for their production varies greatly, depending on the rock type.

It can take one minute to create a 12 mm deep cupule on weathered sandstone, but 45,000 and 60,000 hammer-stone strokes on unweathered quartzite.

Hardness, in this context, is a complex articulation of several factors, essentially a measure of how resistant rock is to various kinds of permanent shape change when a compressive force is applied to it.

[14] This cumulative application of focused force has occasionally led to kinetic energy metamorphosis in sedimentary siliceous rocks, a phenomenon first identified in cupules but since recognized in many geological contexts.