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Weathering: Breaking Down Rocks and Changing Their Composition

Weathering is the process of breaking down rocks into smaller pieces, known as sediment, which eventually becomes soil. There are two types of weathering: mechanical and chemical. Mechanical weathering occurs through ice wedging, abrasion, plant action, and release of pressure. Chemical weathering involves a change in the chemical makeup of rocks through oxidation and acids. Erosion, carried out by wind, water, glaciers, and gravity, then transports the sediment to other locations. Deposition is the final stage, where sediments, soil, and rocks are added to landforms or masses.

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Weathering: Breaking Down Rocks and Changing Their Composition

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  1. WeatheringThe process of breaking down of rocks into smaller and smaller pieces of rock. These small pieces are known as sediment. Sediment breaks down further and becomes soil. YehliuTaiwan-HoneycombWeathering 180px-GeologicalExfoliationOfGraniteRock

  2. Types of Weathering • Mechanical/ Physical Weathering • Chemical Weathering

  3. Types of Mechanical Weathering • Ice Wedging- Water in the cracks of rocks freeze • Abrasion- Particles of sand are carried by the wind and water • Plant Action – roots from plants grow in the cracks of rocks • Release pressure – when pressure is removed from rocks

  4. Chemical Weathering The process in which the chemical makeup of a rock is changed by a chemical reaction. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weathering#Chemical_weathering

  5. Types of Chemical Weathering • Oxidation – a chemical change that occurs when oxygen and iron form. • Acids – natural acids break down rock. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stalagmite

  6. Erosion • Erosion takes rocks and other particles from one location and puts them in another. • Weathering is breaking up rocks erosion is carrying them away.

  7. The Agents of Erosion • Wind • Water • Glaciers • Gravity / Mass Movement

  8. Wind Erosion • Wind can carry sand, silt, and clay from one place and deposit it in another. • This type of erosion is most frequent in dry areas with little or no vegetation.

  9. Wind Erosion http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/15/Mesquite_Sand_Dunes.JPG

  10. Water Erosion • The most important agent of erosion is running water. • Water runs down hill and form a gully by taking away sediment. • Water continues to flow in the gully and eventually forming a valley. • Water can cause erosion of the shore line can be from waves in the ocean.

  11. Water Erosion http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Gully_ElPasoCounty_CO_USA.jpg

  12. Water Erosion http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Wavecut_platform_southerndown_pano.jpg

  13. Glaciers Erosion • Glacier Erosion is sometimes referred to as Ice Erosion • Glaciers move slowly across land picking up large rocks and even larger boulders. • Glaciers can cause deep valleys to form as they move across the land.

  14. Glaciers Erosion http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Glacier_mouth.jpg

  15. Gravity/Mass Movement Erosion • Gravity is the force behind Water and Glacier Erosion • Gravity alone can cause Erosion

  16. Gravity/Mass Movement Erosion http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erosion#Gravity_erosion

  17. Types of Gravity/Mass Movement Erosion • Slump • Creep • Rockfalls • Rockslides • Mudflows • Landslides

  18. Slump • A slump occurs when a mass of land slips and moves down a slope. • A slump occurs when the slope becomes too steep and the material under it can not support the ground above it. http://geology.about.com/library/bl/images/blslump.htm http://geology.about.com/library/bl/images/blslump.htm

  19. Creep • Sediment slowly moves down hill. • Leaning trees and fence post are clues that creeping is occurring

  20. Rockfalls Occur when parts of a rock break off a tumble through the air. http://www.seismo.ethz.ch/hazard/risk/PaleoSeis/rockfalls2.htm

  21. Rockslides • Large and small rock slide down a slope. http://www.grisda.org/origins/11090.htm

  22. Mudflows • Happen after heavy rains. • More likely to occur when there is a lack of vegetation. • Gravity pulls on the heavy water saturated sediment and causes it to flow down hill. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Mudflow_mailboxes.jpg

  23. Landslides • A movement of land down a slope. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20050601-1811-wst-lagunalandslide.html

  24. Deposition • Process by which sediments, soil and rocks are added to a landform or land mass (the end of erosion). http://education.usgs.gov/lessons/schoolyard/RockSedimentary.html

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