By:

Shaneil Barrington
Ramerine Rampersad
Samara Ali
Arianna Maharaj
Justin Jainarine
Akiba Cooper

Presented by: Shaneil Barrington,

Samara Ali, Ramnerine Rampersad and
Akiba Cooper
 Weathering describes the breaking down or dissolving
of rocks and minerals on the surface of the Earth.
Water, ice, acids, salts, plants, animals, and changes in
temperature are all agents of weathering.

Weathering is also the process that changes solid rock

into sediments. With weathering, rock is disintegrated
into smaller pieces. Once these sediments are
separated from the rocks, erosion is the process that
moves the sediments away from it’s original position.

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Physical weathering is caused by the effects of
changing temperature on rocks. This causes the rock
to break up, but does not change its mineral
composition. The particles of rock are not softened,
and do not change color. Wind, gravity, waves and
even plants are all factors of physical weathering.
Physical weathering occurs especially in places
where there is little soil and little plant growth, such
as mountainous regions and hot deserts.

Physical Weathering
can occur in two ways:
•Frost Action
•Pressure release
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• This weathering process can also be referred to as 'Frost
shattering' or ' Freeze thaw' weathering. It involves the
weathering processes caused by repeated cycles of
freezing and thawing. Frost action is limited to climates in
which the temperature both drops below, and rises above
zero degrees Celsius.

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• This weathering process can also be referred to as 'Frost
shattering' or ' Freeze thaw' weathering. It involves the
weathering processes caused by repeated cycles of
freezing and thawing. Frost action is limited to climates in
which the temperature both drops below, and rises above
zero degrees Celsius.
• During the daytime, the temperatures are above the
freezing point, small cracks and fissures in the rock fill with
water from rain, dew or melting snow. At night when the
temperature drops below the freezing point, the water in
the rock's cracks turn to ice. When water freezes, it
expands by about 9%, meaning that there is not enough
room for the ice. The ice crystal then presses against the
rock in an effort to expand. Over time, when this process is
repeated, the pressure of the ice can split the rock.
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• This weathering process can also be referred to as 'Frost
shattering' or ' Freeze thaw' weathering. It involves the
weathering processes caused by repeated cycles of
freezing and thawing. Frost action is limited to climates in
which the temperature both drops below, and rises above
zero degrees Celsius.
• During the daytime, the temperatures are above the
freezing point, small cracks and fissures in the rock fill with
water from rain, dew or melting snow. At night when the
temperature drops below the freezing point, the water in
the rock's cracks turn to ice. When water freezes, it
expands by about 9%, meaning that there is not enough
room for the ice. The ice crystal then presses against the
rock in an effort to expand. Over time, when this process is
repeated, the pressure of the ice can split the rock.
• Frost action is most effective on rocks which have many
joints and fissures, rocks like limestone and sandstone for
example. It works most rapidly when the rocks are 8
completely saturated with water, and there is a sudden
drop in temperatures to several degrees below the freezing
point. This type of weathering produces coarse, angular
fragments of rock.
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• Pressure release or unloading is a form of physical
weathering seen when deeply buried rock is unburied.
Intrusive igneous rocks, such as granite, are formed
deep beneath the Earth's surface. They are under
tremendous pressure because of the overlying rock
material. When erosion removes the overlying rock
material, these intrusive rocks are exposed and the
pressure on them is released.
• The outer parts of the rocks then tend to expand. The
expansion sets up stresses which cause fractures
parallel to the rock surface to form. As the rock expands,
joints and cracks are formed. Over time, sheets of rock
break away from the exposed rocks along the fractures,
a process known as exfoliation. Exfoliation due to
pressure release is also known as "sheeting". This
process helped to shape landforms such as the Sugar
Loaf Mountain in Rio de Janeiro and Pitons in St. Lucia.
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Sugar Loaf Mountain
Rio de Jeneiro

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 Pitons in St. Lucia

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• Chemical weathering is where chemicals in rain and
moving water react with rocks and minerals to change or
weaken them in some way. Chemical weathering always
causes some type of chemical reaction within the rock or
mineral itself.
• Chemical Weathering alters the minerals which make up
the rock. It may produce changes in colour or texture.
Small cracks allow water to penetrate into the rock. Most
chemical weathering produces fine material, such as
salts which can be dissolved, or clay particles which can
easily be washed away. This type of weathering occurs
fastest at warm and damp climates such as the tropics.

• There are many forms of chemical weathering. Four

chemical weathering processes which operate on many
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types of rock are:
Some minerals, such as rock salt and
calcium bicarbonate, can be
dissolved by water. Most rain water is
slightly acidic as well as water in soil.
This increases the rate at which
solution operates on most minerals.

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• Minerals react chemically with water.
Feldspar is a hard, rock forming mineral.
It reacts with water to produce clay
minerals. The most common example
of hydrolysis is feldspar in granite rocks
changing to clay.

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This is where a mineral reacts with the
oxygen in the air. When iron is left
exposed to the atmosphere, iron oxide
(rust) will form on the surface. Many
other rock- forming minerals, such as
sulphur, can also be altered by
oxidation.

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 Carbonation is a form of chemical
weathering which affects limestone.

• Limestone consists mainly of Calcium Carbonate

which is insoluble before weathering. As
rainwater reacts with carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere and in the soil particles it forms a
weak acid called carbonic acid. This acid reacts
with the limestone to produce calcium
bicarbonate. Calcium bicarbonate is soluble and
can easily be washed away by rainwater, rivers or
underground water.

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 Biotic weathering refers to the role plants and
animals play in breaking down rock. Biotic weathering
includes both physical and chemical processes.
Burrowing animals and earthworms often aid in the
breakdown of rock. Also, the roots of plants may force
their way into cracks in rocks, thereby expanding them
and eventually breaking the rock apart.
When dead plants and animals decay, acids are
produced which can play an important part in
chemical weathering. On limestone coasts, rock is
weathered by algae and snails living close to the
waterline. They break up the limestone to leave loose
material which is easily eroded by the waves.
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 How does climate affect weathering?

In a cold climate, frost shattering is an important form of

weathering. Frost action is most effective where there
is a wide daily temperature range, and the night-time
temperature falls many degrees below freezing point.
Rainfall should also be fairly high. However, most
chemical reactions operate slowly at low temperatures.
Chemical weathering is less effective in a cold climate.

In a warm climate, most chemical reactions take place

at a much faster rate. Many types of chemical
weathering can only take place when there is some
moisture on the ground. Chemical weathering is most
effective in a warm, moist climate, as in most of the
Caribbean.
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How does the type of rock affect weathering?

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The type and structure of the rock affects
weathering, for example limestone is affected
by carbonation.
Carbonation is a form of chemical weathering
which affects limestone. It operates like this:
- Limestone consists mainly of calcium
carbonate (CaCO3). Before weathering, this
mineral is not soluble. The atmosphere
contains carbon dioxide (CO2). There is a
higher concentration of carbon dioxide in the
air trapped between soil particles.
- Rainwater reacts with the carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere and in the soil to form a weak
carbonic acid (H2CO3).
- This carbonic acid reacts with the limestone to 35
produce calcium bicarbonate in this chemical
reaction:
H2CO3 + CaCO3 → Ca (HCO3)2
• Some minerals, such as quartz are resistant to
chemical weathering. Others such as feldspar,
are changed to clay by hydrolysis, or altered by
oxidation or solution. Rocks which contain a
high proportion of quartz, weather more slowly
than rocks which are composed mainly of less-
resistant minerals, such as feldspar.
• Most rocks are made up of many different
minerals. When some of these minerals are
weathered, this weakens the structure of the
rock. Some rocks crumble into small particles
when weathering is well advanced. This
process is called granular disintegration.
Rocks which may have many joints and cracks
are weathered more easily. Water and air can 36
penetrate into the rock to aid both physical
and chemical weathering processes.
https://youtu.be/skB_A2sfBcY

VIDEO ON WEATHERING 37
https://youtu.be/BxmAJMjJ5Nk

VIDEO ON WEATHERING 38
Done by: Akiba Cooper, Samara Ali, Shaneil Barrington, Ramnerine Rampersad,
Justin Jainarine and Arriana Maharaj 39
Powerpoint Presentation, Definition of
weathering, Pressure Release and Chemical
Weathering- Akiba Cooper

Physical Weathering and Frost Action- Shaniel

Barrington

Carbonation and Biotic Weathering- Samara Ali

Weathering and Climate- Justin Janarine

Rock Types and Weathering- Ramnerine

Rampersad

Pictures- Arianna Maharaj