Weathering

Never let the “weathering” break

us down, oh no, let’s go!
 Weathering
• Processes that work to weaken and
break down rock at Earth’s surface
 Weathering
• Breaks rock into smaller pieces
• Pebbles
• Sand
• Silt
• Clay
• Changes Earth’s
surface
 Types of Weathering
• Mechanical (Physical)
• Rocks are broken apart by physical
processes
• Chemical makeup of rock remains the
same
• Chemical
• Chemical reactions dissolve the minerals in
rocks or change them into different
minerals
Mechanical (Physical)
Weathering
 Plants: Root Pry
• As roots grow, they cause rocks to split
• Examples
• Sidewalks
• Trees growing in bedrock

• Mechanical weathering
Plants: Root Pry
 Animals
• Burrowing animals loosen sediment and
push it to the surface to be weathered
by additional processes
• Examples:
• Golpher
• Mole

• Mechanical weathering
Animals
 Ice Wedging or Freeze/Thaw
• Water EXPANDS as it freezes
• The force of the expansion is strong
enough to split rocks apart
• Examples:
• Creates huge boulder fields in mountains
• Potholes - big problem for MN

• Mechanical weathering
Ice Wedging or Freeze/Thaw
 Natural Acids: Carbonic Acid
• Rainwater reacts with carbon dioxide in the
air or soil
• Breaks down calcite, limestone and marble
• Example:
• Acid rain - natural
• Creates underground caves

• Chemical weathering
Natural Acids: Carbonic Acid
 Plant Acids
• Some roots and decaying plants give off
acids that also dissolve minerals in rock
• As the rock weathers, nutrients become
available to plants
• Examples:
• Tree roots
• Lichen and mosses

• Chemical weathering
 Lichen and Mosses
• Do not need soil to grow
• Acids breakdown rocks and creates soil
 Oxygen: Oxidation
• Oxygen with water dissolve iron minerals
• Turns rocks a yellowish or orange-brown
• Examples:
• Rust on cars/bikes (man-made objects)
• Hematite from mineral lab
• Planet Mars

• Chemical weathering
Oxygen: Oxidation
 Exfoliation
• Process where rock surfaces break off in
sheets or layers
• Caused by pressure release/temperature
changes
• Examples:
• Exfoliating the skin

• Mechanical weathering
Exfoliation
 Hydration
• Rock minerals dissolve in water, changing
the chemical makeup of the rock
• Example:
• Rocks at the bottom of a lake

• Chemical weathering
Hydration
 Abrasion
• The breakdown of rocks by the collision
of sediments carried by moving wind or
water
• Examples:
• River sediment
• Sand blasting

• Mechanical weathering
Abrasion
 Gravity
• Material moving down a slope
• Rocks collide against each other and
against the sides of the slope
• Example:
• Rock falling down a mountain

• Mechanical weathering
Gravity
 Air Pollution
• Power plants and cars produce gases such
as sulfur dioxide and nitric oxide
• Makes rainwater more acidic
• Breaks down calcite, limestone and marble
• Examples:
• More acidic acid rain - human caused
• Dissolving of rock material on surface

• Chemical weathering
Air Pollution