CHAPTER 14

LESSON 3
Earth’s Changing Surface

Weathering, Erosion, and Deposition

Key Concepts
• How are weathering and
What do you think? Read the two statements below and decide soil formation related?
whether you agree or disagree with them. Place an A in the Before column
• How do weathering,
if you agree with the statement or a D if you disagree. After you’ve read
this lesson, reread the statements to see if you have changed your mind.
erosion, and deposition
change Earth’s surface?
Before Statement After
• How are erosion and
5. Rocks cannot change. deposition related?
6. Sediment can be transported by water, wind,
and ice.

Sticky Notes As you read,

Weathering use sticky notes to mark
You have read that mountains can form as a result of plate information that you do not
motion and volcanoes. But why don’t mountains last understand. Read the text
forever? Weathering refers to the processes that break down rocks, carefully a second time. If you
changing Earth’s surface over time. Erosion is the moving of weathered still need help, write a list of
Copyright © Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

material, or sediment, from one location to another. Slowly but questions to ask your teacher.
surely, weathering and erosion wear down mountains.
Reading Check
Physical Weathering
1. Differentiate What is
The process of breaking rock into small pieces without changing the
the difference between
composition of the rock is physical weathering. Physical weathering weathering and erosion?
can be caused by temperature and by plants. Weathering refers to the
Temperature and Physical Weathering Temperature is one procees that breaks down
rocks and erosion is the
factor that affects physical weathering. Most rocks contain moving of weathered
water in cracks and spaces between the particles that make material.
up the rock. During winter or at night, the water in rocks
can freeze. When water freezes, it expands. If water in rocks
freezes and melts repeatedly, it can break apart rocks. This is
called frost wedging.
Plants and Physical Weathering Plants also can cause physical
weathering. For example, the roots of plants can grow into
cracks in rock. As the roots grow and take up more space in
the cracks, the force they apply to the rock breaks the rock.

Reading Essentials Earth’s Changing Surface 255


Make a horizontal two-tab
book and use it to compare
the different types of
weathering.
Physical Chemical
Weathering Weathering
Key Concept Check
2. Relate How does
weathering change Earth’s
surface?
Physical and chemical
weathering change the forms
of the landforms and earth
surface , because the rocks
are changed in time.
Reading Check
3. Explain How do
chemical and physical
weathering work together?
Physical weathering exposes
more surface area of rocks.
This allows more water and
atmospheric gases to enter
the rocks. That water help
cause chemical weathering.
256 Earth’s Changing Surface
Chemical Weathering
The process of changing the composition of rocks and minerals by
exposure to water and the atmosphere is called chemical weathering.
Some minerals chemically weather more easily than others.
For example, calcite, the mineral that makes up limestone,
dissolves readily in acidic rainwater. Feldspar, a common
mineral in igneous rocks, easily weathers into the clay
minerals, kaolinite. However, other minerals, such as quartz,
are resistant to chemical weathering.
Gases and Chemical Weathering Gases in the atmosphere
also can cause chemical weathering. Minerals containing iron
react with oxygen in the atmosphere and form rust-colored
minerals. Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere dissolves in
water and makes acidic water. Limestone dissolves much
faster in acidic water than in nonacidic water.
Temperature and Chemical Weathering Temperature also
affects the rate of chemical weathering. You might know
that chemical reactions happen faster at higher temperatures
than at lower temperatures. That is why chemical
weathering occurs fastest in hot, wet climates.
Weathering Interactions
Physical weathering exposes more surface area of rocks.
This allows more water and atmospheric gases to enter rocks.
Recall that water and gases help cause chemical weathering.
Chemical weathering weakens rocks by changing the
Copyright © Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
composition of some minerals and dissolving others. For
example, clay formed by chemical weathering is weaker
than the feldspar from which it formed. This weakening of
rocks can increase the rate of physical weathering. In this
way, chemical and physical weathering work together.
Soil Formation
Soil consists of weathered rock, mineral material, water, air, and
organic matter from the remains of organisms. Soil forms directly
on top of the rock layers from which it is made. The process
of soil formation is illustrated in the figure at the top of the
next page.
Soil formation takes a long time. It is the result of hundreds
to thousands of years of weathering. The rock type that
weathers, the biological activity, and the climate all affect
soil formation.
Reading Essentials
 Soil Formation

Weathering processes fracture
and break down rock. Soil
formation can take hundreds
or thousands of years.
Plants, bacteria, and The upper part of the soil
burrowing organisms contains more organic
help break down rock. material than the lower
part. The lower part of the
soil also can contain
weathered rock.
Over time, plants and other
organisms in the soil die
and decompose. The upper
part of the soil contains
nutrient-rich organic
material.

Biological Activity and Soil Formation Biological activity Visual Check

plays an important role in making soil. Tunnels formed by
worms and other organisms form pathways in soil for water
4. Evaluate What happens
to the solid rock layers during
and air. Decaying plants and animals also produce carbon soil formation?
dioxide and other acids that enhance chemical weathering. weathering processes
Eventually, the decayed plants and animals become part of fractureand break down rock
the soil and make it better for plant growth. layers.

Climate and Soil Formation Where do you think soil forms

fastest? Soil forms fastest in warm, wet climates. Large
Copyright © Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

amounts of rain can speed weathering of rocks. In addition,

chemical reactions occur faster in warmer temperatures.
Weathering also can happen quickly in areas where freezing
and thawing break apart rocks. Key Concept Check
5. Compare How are
Erosion weathering and soil formation
Weathering dissolves minerals and produces small particles related?
of rock. The minerals and small pieces of rock are called sediment. weathering dissolves
What happens to sediment after it is made? The agents of minerals and produces small
erosion remove the sediment. Water, ice, and wind can particles of rock. This small
particles allow the biologicla
transport sediment from one place to another. materials to grow up and
forms the soil.
Erosion by Water
Moving water causes erosion. The water picks up rock
pieces and sediment. They then scrape along the ground,
picking up more material. The faster the water flows, the
larger the pieces of sediment the water can carry. Steep
mountain streams carry away all sediment except large
boulders. Water flowing in rivers as well as waves in lakes
and oceans cause erosion.

Reading Essentials Earth’s Changing Surface 257


Key Concept Check
6. Describe How does
erosion change Earth’s
surface?
The agents of erosion
remove the sediment. Water,
ice and wind can transport
sediment from one place to
another
7. Infer Why might farming
be an important activity in
river delta regions?
Reading Check
8. Define What is a
moraine?
258 Earth’s Changing Surface
Erosion by Ice
Glaciers are large masses of ice. As a glacier flows down a
mountain, it removes rocks and sediment beneath it and
along its sides. This forms a smooth land surface underneath
the ice.
Erosion by glaciers makes deep valleys and steep peaks.
Some glaciers can be large enough to cover continents. The
ice covering Antarctica is an example.
Erosion by Wind
Strong winds also can erode and move sediment. Soil and
rock that are not protected by plants can be eroded by wind.
In some places, wind has eroded the rocks and made them
look so smooth that they seem to have been sculpted by an
artist.
Deposition
What happens to eroded sediment? Eventually, the
moving water, ice, or wind slows down or stops. When this
happens, the sediment is deposited. Deposition is the process of
laying down eroded material in a new location.
Deposition by Water
Fast-flowing water carries sediment. If the speed of flowing
water decreases, the water can no longer carry the sediment.
The sediment will settle at the bottom of the water.
Floodplains form when sediment settles out of rivers that
Copyright © Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
flood the areas next to them. The floodplain of the Hatchie
River in Tennessee was formed in this way. Sediment also
settles out of rivers where they enter lakes and oceans, forming
deltas.
Deposition by Ice
When glaciers melt, the water produced by the melting
ice does not flow fast enough to carry sediment. The sediment
is deposited where the ice melts. Glacial deposits of sediment
are called moraines.
Some moraines form mounds at the front and sides of
glaciers. Other moraines can cover the ground that was
previously under the glacier. When the glaciers that once
covered much of North America melted, they left moraines
over most of the areas where they melted.
Reading Essentials
 Deposition by Wind
Wind also can deposit sediment. Sand dunes are landforms
made as wind continually moves and deposits sand grains.
Wind moves the sand grains up one side of the sand dune
and deposits them on the other side. Grain by grain, sand
dunes migrate in the direction the wind blows. Key Concept Check
9. Describe How does
The Erosion-Deposition Cycle deposition change Earth’s
Weathering breaks rock into sediment that can be surface?
transported from high mountains to low areas. Sediment
builds up on plains, at the bottom of lakes, and at the
bottom of the ocean. Over time, thick layers of sediment
form. The locations where sediment accumulates are called
sedimentary basins. The Gulf of Mexico is a sedimentary
basin into which the Mississippi River deposits sediment.
Recall that some minerals dissolve in water. If the water
evaporates, the minerals form again. Over time, layers of salt
can form in this way as water evaporates in sedimentary
basins. The salt surrounding the Great Salt Lake in Utah is
an example of minerals re-forming as water evaporates.
The cycle of weathering, erosion, and deposition has been
repeated many times throughout Earth’s history. The cycle
continues today. The shapes of continents change. The
locations of plate boundaries change. Sediment continues
to be deposited in low areas and then forced upward as tectonic
activity forms mountains. Earth’s surface is continually
Copyright © Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

changing. Key Concept Check

10. Compare How are
erosion and deposition
related?

Reading Essentials Earth’s Changing Surface 259

Mini Glossary
chemical weathering: the process of changing the composition sediment: minerals and small pieces of rock produced by
of rocks and minerals by exposure to water and the atmosphere weathering

deposition: the process of laying down eroded material in a soil: consists of weathered rock, mineral material, water, air,
new location and organic material from the remains of organisms

erosion: the moving of weathered material, or sediment, from weathering: the processes that break down rocks, changing
one location to another Earth’s surface over time

physical weathering: the process of breaking rock into small

pieces without changing the composition of the rock

1. Review the terms and their definitions in the Mini Glossary. Write a sentence explaining
the relationship between deposition and sediment.
Depositon the procces of lauin down and seiment is minerals ad small pieces of rock produced by weatheri

2. Write the letters in the diagram to compare physical and chemical weathering.
a. affected by temperature d. does not change composition g. breaks down rocks
b. brought about by acid rain of rocks h. caused by plant roots
c. affected by atmospheric gases e. might break down mountains i. caused by frost wedging
f. changes composition of rocks

Copyright © Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Physical Both Chemical
Weathering Weathering
f
c d
g
b i
h
e a

What do you think

Reread the statements at the beginning of the Connect ED
lesson. Fill in the After column with an A if you Log on to ConnectED.mcgraw-hill.com
agree with the statement or a D if you disagree. and access your textbook to find this END OF
Did you change your mind? lesson’s resources. LESSON

260 Earth’s Changing Surface Reading Essentials