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Lesson 1 Weathering

Weathering is the process by which rocks and soil are broken down into smaller pieces through physical, chemical, and biological processes near the Earth's surface. There are three main types of weathering: physical weathering breaks rocks into smaller pieces through processes like frost wedging and plant growth; chemical weathering alters the composition of rocks through reactions with water and oxygen; and biological weathering occurs when organisms like plants and microbes break down rocks. Over long periods of time, weathering creates soil by breaking down bedrock into smaller particles and mixing them with organic matter.

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24 views

Lesson 1 Weathering

Weathering is the process by which rocks and soil are broken down into smaller pieces through physical, chemical, and biological processes near the Earth's surface. There are three main types of weathering: physical weathering breaks rocks into smaller pieces through processes like frost wedging and plant growth; chemical weathering alters the composition of rocks through reactions with water and oxygen; and biological weathering occurs when organisms like plants and microbes break down rocks. Over long periods of time, weathering creates soil by breaking down bedrock into smaller particles and mixing them with organic matter.

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janssen.azagra.basallote
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Weathering

http://amazingworld.5u.com/photo.html
Objectives
• Define weathering
• Identify causes of weathering
– Physical or Mechanical Weathering
– Chemical Weathering
– Biological Weathering
•Discuss soil formation
Weathering
Weathering is a set of
physical, chemical, and
biological processes
that alter the physical
and chemical state of
rocks and soil at or near
the earth's surface. http://www.uh.edu/~jbutler/physical/chapter6.html
Effects of Weathering
• Loss of atoms and molecules from
weathered surfaces.
• Addition of specific atoms to the
weathered surface.
• Breakdown of one mass into two or more
masses.
Chemical Weathering
• Involves the alteration of the chemical
composition of weathered material.

There are different process that result in


chemical weathering including:
– Hydrolysis
– Oxidation
– Carbonation
Hydrolysis
Chemical weathering is a process that involves the reaction
between mineral ions and the ions of water (OH- and H+),
and results in the decomposition of the rock surface
by forming new compounds, and by increasing the pH of the
solution through the release of the hydroxide ions.

- Silicate minerals weather by hydrolysis to form clay.


Oxidation
Chemical attachment of free oxygen to other
elements and compounds.

Iron-bearing silicate minerals that


undergo oxidation include the
following:
– pyroxene
– amphibole http://wwwrses.anu.edu.au/research/annrep/ar2006/ee/index.php?p=pillans

– biotite
– olivine

Rocks that contain these elements weather by oxidation into


an orange color.
Carbonation
Dissolving of calcium
carbonate (limestone) in
acidic groundwater
- similar to hydrolysis but all the
products are ionic and there is
no residue
- produces bicarbonate (HCO3),
a major part of the dissolved
load of most rivers http://www.khaolaklanddiscovery.com/_images/tours/khao_sok/
old_coral_big.jpg
- the carbonation of limestone
results in karst topography:
caves, sinkholes, etc.
Physical Weathering
• Breakdown of mineral or rock material by entirely
mechanical methods brought about a variety of reasons.

– Frost Wedging
– Exfoliation or Unloading
– Thermal Expansion
– Plant Wedging

http://members.aol.com/rhaberlin/mwstyg.htm
Frost Wedging
• Mechanical disintegration, splitting
or break up of rock by the
pressure of water freezing in
cracks, crevices, pores, etc.

• Caused by repeated freeze-thaw


cycle of water in extreme
climates. http://regentsprep.org/Regents/earthsci/units/weathering/frostwedging.gif
Exfoliation or Unloading
• Expansion of rock
caused by lifting and
erosion

• Rock breaks off into


sheets along joints
that parallel surface. http://facstaff.gpc.edu/~pgore/Earth&Space/condestr.html
Thermal Expansion
• Repeated cooling and
heating of rock.
• Heat caused rock to
expand and cooling
causes rock to contract
• Looks very similar to frost
wedging and salt crystal
growth, but typically Thermal shattering of sandstone by forest fire.

occurs in climates of http://w3.salemstate.edu/~lhanson/gls210/gls210_weath1.htm

extreme weather
changes.
Plant Wedging
• Plant roots can wedge into
cracks in rocks and produce
enough pressure to split them

• Chemicals produced by the


roots of plants help in the
chemical weathering, as
enzymatic activity digest the
rock as the plant searches for
nutrients in the rock.
http://facstaff.gpc.edu/~pgore/Earth&Space/condestr.html
Biological Weathering
• Animals and Plants can
assist in breaking down
rocks into sediment and
soil.

Biological Weathering can be


caused by:
• Roots of trees and other
plants
• Lichens, fungi, and other
microorganisms. http://w3.salemstate.edu/~lhanson/gls210/gls210_weath1.htm

• animals
Soil Formation
• Soil is formed from the
weathering of rocks and
minerals.

• Surface rock breaks down


by weathering and is mixed
with organic material. Over
time it creates a thin layer of lh3.google.com/.../s800/IMG_1466-1.jpg

soil.
Five Soil Forming Factors
1. Parent Material- The primary material from which rock
is formed.
2. Climate- Weathering forces including heat, rain, ice
snow, wind, etc.
3. Organism- all animals living in or on the soil. Ex:
Animals living in the soil will affect how soil is moved
around and decomposition of waste materials.
4. Topography- the location of the soil on a landscape.
Ex: Soil at the bottom of a hill will get more water than
that on the slope.
5. Time- The formation of soil takes years.
Topography

Image courtesy of the United States Department of Agriculture, Soil


Conservation Service
http://soil.gsfc.nasa.gov/soilform/parmat.htm
References
• http://uregina.ca/~sauchyn/geog221/wthrng.html
• http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/10r.html
• http://gpc.edu/~pgore/Earth&Space/condestr.html
• http://geosun.sjsu.edu/paula/134/pdf/lecture3.pdf
• http://library.thinkquest.org/J003195F/soil.htm
• http://soil.gsfc.nasa.gov/soilform/parmat.htm
• http://w3.salemstate.edu/~lhanson/gls210/gls210_weath1.htm

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