Denudation, weathering, mass

weathering and erosion

GEOGRAPHY
MISS HOSEIN
Weathering
Weathering is the breakdown,
but not removal, of rocks.
Weathering
• Most rocks are formed beneath the surface and when they are exposed at the
surface, the conditions are very different.
• At the surface, they are exposed to the atmosphere and rainwater. The rocks
begin to break down in situ (in their original position).
• There are weathered and the layer of weathered, broken and unconsolidated
rock that forms at the Earth’s surface is known as the regolith.
• Where weathering is rapid or material is removed slowly, the regolith is thick.
• Where weathering is slow or material is removed rapidly, the regolith is thin.
• The boundary between the weathered material and unweathered rock is called
the weathering front.
Mass wasting
Mass wasting or mass movement
is the movement downslope of
rock fragments and soil under
the influence of gravity.
Mass wasting
• Most rocks are held together by a structure of solid minerals.
• When rocks are weathered, this structure is weakened and the solid rock is
replaced by a mixture of clay minerals, larger soil and sand particles and
small fragments of rock.
• Weathered material can move downslope under the influence of gravity.
• Movement is faster on steep slopes where the ground is wet.
• This process is known as mass wasting or mass movement.
Erosion
Erosion is the removal of part of
the land surface by wind, water,
gravity or ice.
Erosion
• Weathered material can be removed by running water, by the wind, and in
cold climates, by glaciers.
• In the Caribbean, water is the most important agent of erosion.
• The land may be eroded by rain action, by rivers and streams and by the
sea.
Deposition
Deposition is the dropping of
material which has been picked
up and transported by wind,
water or ice.
Deposition
• When weathered material has been eroded, it is usually transported to
another location by running water, wave action or by wind or glaciers.
• At a later stage, the material is deposited.
• Deposition may occur in many locations, for example: at the base of a
slope, in the lower part of a river valley or on a beach where waves deposit
sand or stones or in the sea.
Denudation
Denudation is the laying bare of
underlying rocks by the
processes of weathering,
transport and erosion.
Denudation
• Weathering, transport and erosion remove rocks and other material from
the surface of the Earth.
• In doing so, they carve out river valleys and create other landforms.
• This process is known as denudation.
• Some landforms are not created by denudation and are called
constructional landforms. Examples include volcanoes and coral reefs.