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    E.S. 5.1 Bullet Point Notes

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    Toshina Brons
    This document summarizes mechanical and chemical weathering processes. It describes three main causes of mechanical weathering - frost wedging, unloading, and biological activity. Frost wedging occurs when water in cracks freezes and expands. Unloading causes stress reduction and exfoliation in igneous rock. Organisms also contribute to mechanical weathering. Chemically, water and dissolved oxygen are the most important weathering agents, transforming minerals into oxides and clay. The rate of weathering depends on factors like surface area, mineral composition, climate, and differential weathering across a rock.

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    E.S. 5.1 Bullet Point Notes

    Uploaded by

    Toshina Brons
    14 views4 pages
    This document summarizes mechanical and chemical weathering processes. It describes three main causes of mechanical weathering - frost wedging, unloading, and biological activity. Frost wedging occurs when water in cracks freezes and expands. Unloading causes stress reduction and exfoliation in igneous rock. Organisms also contribute to mechanical weathering. Chemically, water and dissolved oxygen are the most important weathering agents, transforming minerals into oxides and clay. The rate of weathering depends on factors like surface area, mineral composition, climate, and differential weathering across a rock.

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    This document summarizes mechanical and chemical weathering processes. It describes three main causes of mechanical weathering - frost wedging, unloading, and biological activity. Frost wedging occurs when water in cracks freezes and expands. Unloading causes stress reduction and exfoliation in igneous rock. Organisms also contribute to mechanical weathering. Chemically, water and dissolved oxygen are the most important weathering agents, transforming minerals into oxides and clay. The rate of weathering depends on factors like surface area, mineral composition, climate, and differential weathering across a rock.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    14 views4 pages

    E.S. 5.1 Bullet Point Notes

    Uploaded by

    Toshina Brons
    This document summarizes mechanical and chemical weathering processes. It describes three main causes of mechanical weathering - frost wedging, unloading, and biological activity. Frost wedging occurs when water in cracks freezes and expands. Unloading causes stress reduction and exfoliation in igneous rock. Organisms also contribute to mechanical weathering. Chemically, water and dissolved oxygen are the most important weathering agents, transforming minerals into oxides and clay. The rate of weathering depends on factors like surface area, mineral composition, climate, and differential weathering across a rock.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 4

    Earth Science

    Chapter 5: Weathering, Soil, and Mass Movements


    ~Lesson 1: Weathering
    Review:
    ● Weathering: breaking down of rocks
    ● There are 2 types of weathering: mechanical & chemical.
    Mechanical Weathering
    ● Mechanical Weathering: physical forces break rock into
    smaller and smaller pieces without changing the rock’s
    mineral composition.
    ● Big rocks weather slower than little ones due to surface area
    ● In nature three physical processes are especially important
    causes of weathering: frost wedging, unloading, and
    biological activity.

    Frost Wedging
    ● Frost Wedging: mechanical breakup of rock caused by the
    expansion of freezing water in cracks and crevices
    ○ When water freezes it expands by about 9%
    ● Most common in mountainous regions in the middle latitudes
    ● Sections of rock that are wedged loose may tumble into
    large piles called talus
    ○ Talus: accumulation of rock debris at the base of a cliff

    Unloading
    ● Removal of great weights of overlying rock
    ● Reduced pressure on igneous rock causes it to expand and
    allows exfoliation.
    ○ Exfoliation: type of weathering caused by unloading
    where slabs of outer rock break off in layers
    ○ igneous rock is “unloading” all the built-up pressure

    1
    Earth Science Chapter 5 ~ ~Lesson 1: Weathering

    ● Example: Suddenly reducing pressure on surrounding rock


    causes newly cut mine tunnels to suddenly have large rock
    slabs explode

    Biological activity
    ● The activity of organisms, including plants, burrowing
    animals, and humans, can also cause mechanical
    weathering.

    Chemical Weathering
    ● Chemical Weathering: transformation of rock into one or
    more new compounds

    Water
    ● Water is the most important agent of chemical weathering.
    ● Oxygen dissolved in water reacts easily with certain minerals
    forming oxides.
    ● Increasing CO2 levels in the atmosphere may accelerate
    chemical weathering.

    Chemical Weathering of Granite


    ● Granite is mostly made of feldspar and quartz.
    ● Chemical weathering converts the feldspar to clay minerals
    and the quartz grains remain substantially unaltered and are
    released.

    Weathering of Silicate Minerals


    ● Produces insoluble iron oxides and clay minerals

    Spheroidal Weathering
    ● Chemical weathering can change the physical shape of rock
    as well as its chemical composition.

    2
    Earth Science Chapter 5 ~ ~Lesson 1: Weathering

    ● Causes the concerns and edges of rock to be more rounded


    ● Sometimes causes outer layers to separate, but, unlike
    exfoliation, there is a chemical change.

    Rate of weathering
    ● One major factor that affects the rate of weathering is
    surface area.
    ○ Increased surface area accelerates chemical
    weathering.
    ● Key Point: Two other factors affecting the rate of
    weathering are rock characteristics and climate.

    Rock characteristics
    ● Mineral composition and solubility
    ○ Example: Marble gravestones undergo chemical
    weathering much faster than granite gravestones
    ● Physical features such as joints and cracks

    Climate
    ● Temperature and moisture are the most crucial factors.
    ○ Control the frequency of freeze-thaw cycles
    ■ Which affect the amount of frost wedging
    ○ Affect the rate of a chemical weathering
    ○ Influence the kind of vegetation and how much is
    present
    ● Chemical weathering is most effective in areas with high
    temperatures and abundant moisture.

    Differential Weathering
    ● Different parts of a rock weather at different rates

    3
    Earth Science Chapter 5 ~ ~Lesson 1: Weathering

    ● Caused by variations in:


    ○ Composition
    ○ The number and spacing of cracks in different parts of a
    rock mass.
    ● Creates unusual and spectacular rock formations and
    landforms.

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