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Chapter 3 Surface Processes

A Geology for Engineers

Everyone, good morning! Therefore, the purpose of this group is to assist you in perfecting the
quiz and examination, so please bring our module A Geology for Engineers textbook and jot
down any pertinent notes before the lecture.
To begin, you should know what geology is. Geology is the study of the Earth and how it works.
It shows how the Earth formed and how it has changed over time. It's also often discussed in the
bigger picture of Geosciences. "geoscience" refers to fields that study how Earth systems, the
environment, and people interact. Geology is the study of the Earth, and today, we will only talk
about how it is put together.

3.1 Weathering
Weathering is the breaking down of rocks, soil, and minerals as well as wood and artificial
materials through contact with the earth's atmosphere, waters, and biological organisms. Most
civil engineering works occur close to the surface, and the process of 'weathering' has affected
most groundmasses at shallow depth. Because of this, the weathering of both engineering soils
and rocks is one of the most important problems with which the engineering geologist has to
contend.
Classification of Weathering
• Physical weathering
Refers to the breakdown of rocks and soils through direct contact with atmospheric
conditions, such as heat, water, ice and pressure.

• Chemical weathering
Refers to direct effect of atmospheric chemicals or biologically produced chemicals also
known as biological weathering in the breakdown of rocks, soils and minerals.

• Biological weathering
 Living organisms may contribute to mechanical weathering and chemical weathering,
which is a minor weathering type.
Physical Weathering
• Thermal stress weathering
Results from the expansion and contraction of rock, caused by temperature changes.
• Frost weathering
Frost wedging, ice wedging or cryofracturing, is the collective name for several processes
where ice is present.
• Pressure release/ Unloading weathering
When erosion, glacial ablation or other processes remove the overlying rocks, it can
cause underlying rocks to expand and create fractures parallel to the rock surface.
• Salt deliquescence and crystallization
Causes disintegration of rocks when saline solutions seep into cracks and joints in the
rocks and evaporate, leaving salt crystals behind.
• Thermal stress weathering
Results from the expansion and contraction of rock, caused by temperature changes.

Physical weathering
First destroys the integrity of the rock, and as the degree of weathering increases, the rock
gradually changes into fragments and loose mineral grains. As the particles become
progressively finer, the influence of the physical weathering diminishes. However, as the debris
comes into fuller contact with the atmosphere, water, organisms, etc., the weathering type
transform accordingly and, under certain conditions, chemical action will dominate the
weathering process.

Weathering degree assessment

Rock color
Weathering will cause changes in color and luster of rocks. After weathering, the dark
minerals become lighter and lose their original luster.
Mineral composition of rock
 After weathering, it will first produce secondary changes in some of the weathered
minerals, such as the feldspar in granite, which gradually become kaolinite after weathering, and
the black mica will eventually become vermiculite.

Crushing degree of the rock

The deeper the weathering is, the more weathered cracks develop, and the rock mass is
cut and fractured.
Changes in rock strength
After weathering, the integrity of rock is destroyed, the connection between mineral is
weakened, the mineral composition changes secondary, and the mechanical strength decreases.

Eluvium
After long-term weathering, mineral composition, texture, and structure of the rock near
earth surface changed, the weathering products are different from the original rock. A part of
soluble material is dissolved and lost; other materials remain in the original place. The residual
substance is called the eluvial soil; the weathering layer is called the eluvium. gradually
transferred upward into the soil layer. The soil layer is directly distributed on the earth surface,
which is rich in organic matter with deep color. From the eluvial soil down to weathered rock
and gradually into fresh rock. The soil layer, the eluvium and the weathered rock form a
complete weathering crust. From the surface to the interior, residual debris size increases
gradually, which is the main feature of eluvium.

Engineering property
Pores and cracks are developed in residual soil, so it is easy to be eroded, and the strength and
stability are poor. When residual soil is used as the foundation of a building, its bearing capacity
and possible uneven settlement should be taken into account. Also problems such as collapse and
rainfall erosion should be considered when there is residual soil subgrade slope.

Three geological processes of river

Erosion
In the process of river flow, which is gradually deepen and widen the river bed.
Transportation
In the process of stream flow, solid materials denuded in the river bed move out their original
places.

Sedimentation
When the competence decreases, the river gives up transporting larger particles; and when the
competence increases, the river transports larger particles. This induces the sorting of sediments.
When the load is larger than the capacity, the river tends to deposition; and when the load is
smaller than the capacity, the river tends to erosion.

Lateral erosion:
Rivers carry mud, sand, and gravel as tools, the rocks on both sides of the riverbed are eroded
with their own kinetic energy and dissolving force, which makes the river channel widen, is
known as the lateral erosion.
Process
When flowing rivers enter bend, because of centrifugal force, running water has not only forward
movement, but also produces a centrifugal force points to the movement of the concave bank
Because velocity difference of surface flowing and bottom layer flowing of water moves into
concave bank leads to lateral circulation flowing making flowing of bottom layer rush to concave
bank at a greatly and produces more intense erosion, making concave bank gradually collapse
and fallback, Solid material of washing down took to convex bank the front or the back of the
next curve convex bank by flowing of bottom layer and plied up.

Rule of river erosion

In the flow of a river, the flow is in the form of a spiral flow that consists of longitudinal and
transverse circulations, incision erosion and lateral erosion were performed simultaneously. In
the upstream or mountain rivers: longitudinal gradient of the riverbed is steep; the velocity is
fast; lateral flow is gentle, and the down cutting erosion is dominant. In the midstream and
downstream or plain river: longitudinal gradient of the riverbed is gentle; lateral circulation is
dominant; lateral erosion is dominant.
Transportation
During the movement of a river, when the river carries more sediment, gravel and other materials
than it can carry, the materials carried are gradually deposited by gravity, called deposition. The
deposit of a river is called alluvium.

Floodplain phase deposits

The inner particles are coarser and the outward particles become thinner. Because of the
continuous development of meander and the lateral migration of riverbed, the sediments of
Floodplain phase are accumulated over the sedimentary layer of riverbed, which constitutes The
dualistic structure of the alluvium. Dualistic structure: the lower part is coarse riverbed
sediments, the surface is the fine floodplain sediments, which is mainly consists of clay and silt.
 Oxbow lake phase deposits
The deposits formed in oxbow lake are mainly hydrostatic deposits, usually composed of clay
and organic materials, its water content is large, compress and shear strength is small, and easy
to be deformed.
 Deltas phase deposits
When a river enters a standing body of water such as a lake or ocean, again there is a sudden
decrease in velocity and the river deposits its sediment in a deposit called a delta.
 River alluvium in mountain area
Alluvial deposits are almost composed of riverbed sediments in rapidly mountainous rivers.
The alluvial deposits in the riverbed are mainly gravel, pebble and coarse sand. These sediments
are mixed and stacked, the degree of roundness and sorting of the gravel are very poor.
Sometimes gravel has certain alignment direction, forming a tile like deposit.

River Terraces
• The terraces formed by river erosion or sedimentation in river valleys are called river terraces.
• If the terrace extends in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the river, it is called a
lateral terrace.
• If the terraces extend in a direction parallel to that of the river, they are called longitudinal
terraces.