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Earth Science
Quarter 2 – Module 1:
Exogenic Processes (Weathering)
Learning Area – Grade 11
Alternative Delivery Mode
Quarter 2 – Module 1: Exogenic Processes (Weathering)
First Edition, 2020

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 What I Need to Know

This module was designed and written for the learners. After going
through this module, the learner is expected to:
1. describe how rocks undergo weathering (S11Es-lla-22);
2. differentiate the types of weathering; and
3. discuss how the different factors affect the rate of weathering

What I Know

Directions: Read and analyze the following questions. Choose the

letter of the correct answer. Write your answer on a separate sheet of paper.
1. Which of the following processes originates externally to the
Earth’s surface?
A. Endogenic C. External
B. Exogenic D. Internal

2. What is the type of chemical weathering that rapidly dissolves

a granule of sugar to form a sugar solution?
A. abrasion C. hydrolysis
B. dissolution D. oxidation

3. Which process exhibits the breaking down of rocks on

Earth’s surface?
A. abrasion C. hydrolysis
B. dissolution D. oxidation

4. What type of weathering occurs when a rock is physically broken

into smaller pieces?
A. chemical C. internal
B. external D. physical

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 5. Which of the following statements does not describe
dissolution process?
A. The crystal of halite dissolves rapidly and completely in water
to form a solution.
B. It happens when elements react with atmospheric oxygen.
C. Limestone is composed of calcite that weathers and
develops caves through time.
D. The formation of mineral ores in different types
of sedimentary rocks.

Lesson
Exogenic Processes
1 (Weathering)

Exogenic process includes geological phenomena and processes that

originate externally/outside to the Earth’s surface. They are genetically
related to the atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere, and therefore to
processes of weathering, erosion, transportation, deposition, denudation etc.

This lesson will discuss the process, types and factors of weathering.

What’s In

Directions: Let’s have a memory activity. In the previous lesson, you

have learned waste management. Illustrate a pie chart showing the
composition of your household waste. Look at the sample pie chart below.

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 Figure 1: Waste composition of Metro Manila garbage (Asian Development Bank, 2004).

Guide Questions:

1. What are the different wastes from your household?

2. Categorize them into, metals, glass, organic, inorganic, plastics and
kitchen/food wastes.
3. What type of waste occupies the biggest part of your pie chart? What
waste is the smallest percentage?

What’s New

Activity. Shake It!

Directions: Perform the given tasks and answer the questions that
follow on a separate sheet of paper.

I-Objective: To describe how rocks undergo weathering

II-Materials

handful of sugar/salt cubes

plastic bottle with cover

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 III-Procedure:
1. Take a handful sugar/salt cubes in your kitchen.
2. Put in a jar/cup/glass/bottle and shake the container
a. What do you think will happen to sugar cubes if you will shake
the container fifteen times? Write your predictions.
______________________________________________________________
b. Does the shape of sugar cubes change? _______________________
c. What causes the sugar cubes’ shape change? __________________
_______________________________________________________________

3. Now shake the container fifteen times.

4. Are your predictions correct?
5. Pour water in your container with sugar cubes. Observe.
a. What happens to the sugar cubes? ____________________________
____________________________________________________________
b. Are there sugar particles left at the bottom of the container?
_____________________________________________________________

The sugar/salt cubes represent rocks. Sugar cubes will change

depending on what you do or add to it. When you shake the container, it will
break into smaller parts and when you pour water, it will dissolve to form a
solution. Same goes to rocks. Rocks undergo different processes and one of
these processes is weathering.

What is It

Weathering is the physical disintegration and chemical decomposition

by which rocks change upon exposure to physical, chemical and biological
processes at or near the Earth’s surface to produce an in-situ mantle (in
place) of the loosened or altered material. It means that this reaction
happens on the surface or within the rock. There are two types of
weathering: physical weathering and chemical weathering.

What are the types of weathering? (Delete this question.)

1. Physical weathering (or mechanical weathering) disintegrates rocks, breaking

them into smaller pieces. This kind of weathering breaks apart the rock without

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 changing its chemical composition. The following are examples that illustrate
physical weathering.

a. Frost wedging- when water gets inside the joints, alternate freezing and
thawing episodes pry the rock apart.
b. Salt crystal growth- force exerted by salt crystal that formed as water
evaporates from pore spaces or cracks in rocks can cause the rock to fall
apart
c. Abrasion – wearing away of rocks by constant collision of loose particles
d. Biological activity – plants and animals (including humans) as agents of
mechanical weathering

2. Chemical weathering decomposes rocks through chemical reactions that

change the original rock-forming minerals. Weathering occurs as a response
to the low pressure, low temperature, and water and oxygen rich nature of
the Earth’s surface. The following are the major processes of chemical
weathering.

a. Dissolution – dissociation of molecules into ions; common

example includes dissolution of calcite and salt
b. Oxidation- reaction between minerals and oxygen dissolved in water
c. Hydrolysis- change in the composition of minerals when they react with
water

3. Biological weathering is also called biotic weathering. This type of weathering

is the disintegration of rocks caused by living organisms.

a. Plants help to cause physical and chemical weathering. Its root

continues to push through into the joints of rocks in searching for
moisture. As the plant grows, its roots grow larger and thicker which
causes the rocks to break. The larger and thicker the roots, the more
pressure it exerts on the rocks which will result to break the rock.
b. Animals such as ants, earthworms, rats, rabbits, and termites
breakdown the rocks through burrowing. These actions causes to
breakdown rocks. The disintegrated rocks will be easier to be exposed in
other intense processes, or to be eroded or removed by other agents. The
chemical composition of the rocks will change due to microbes. As a
result of change in chemical composition, the rocks will be more
susceptible to weathering.
c. Humans act a significant role in weathering of rocks. Human activities
like agriculture, construction of houses and buildings, development of
roads, among others, demand a large quantity of rocks to be broken
down. Mining of ores and minerals also contributes to breaking,

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 weakening and loosening of rocks. Furthermore, if there is an increase
in pollution, there will be also an increase amount of weathering agents
in soil, water and wind.

There are factors that affect the type, extent, and rate at which weathering
takes place.

a. Climate
Areas that are cold and dry tend to have slow rates of chemical
weathering and weathering is mostly physical; chemical weathering is most
active in areas with high temperature and rainfall.
b. Rock type
The minerals that constitute rocks have different susceptibilities to
weathering. The susceptibility of minerals (from high to low) roughly follows
the inverse of the order of crystallization of minerals in the Bowen’s reaction
series. Thus, olivine which crystallizes first is the least resistant whereas;
quartz which crystallizes last is the most resistant.
c. Rock structure
Rate of weathering is affected by the presence of joints, folds, faults,
bedding planes through which agents of weathering enter a rock mass.
Highly jointed/ fractured rocks disintegrate faster than a solid mass of rock
of the same dimension
d. Topography
Physical weathering occurs more quickly on a steep slope than on a
gentle one. On a gentle slope, water may stay longer in contact with the
rocks, hence chemical weathering is enhanced.
e. Time
Length of exposure to agents of weather determines the degree of
weathering of a rock

Study the table below that shows how these factors affect weathering

Factor Factor How does it affect weathering?

Climate: If you go back to the chemical

Cold and dry = slow rate of chemical weathering processes, most if not all are
weathering chemical reactions involving water.
High temperature and high rainfall = Hence, the presence of water which is an
high rate of chemical important chemical weathering agent
Weathering increases the rate of weathering. High
temperature enhances chemical
reactions.

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Rock Type: Recall that temperature is an
Weathering rates roughly follow the important factor of mineral formation/
inverse of the order of crystallization of
crystallization. Olivine crystallizes at
minerals in the Bowen’s reaction high temperature while quartz at the
series. Calcite lowest temperature as compared to the
other minerals. Therefore, quartz is the
most stable on surface conditions (low
temperature conditions), while the other
minerals in the series would be less
stable. Olivine would be least stable.
Limestone however will have a high
susceptibility to weathering even though
it is formed at surface temperature,
because it can be easily dissolved by
water (cite Bohol chocolate hills for
example)
Rock Structure: These cracks/structures facilitate
The presence of cracks where agents of the entry of weathering agents.
weathering (water, plant roots, etc.)
can enter enhances weathering
Topography: Be careful on this because this is a
Physical weathering occurs more very tricky factor. Physical weathering
quickly on a steep slope than on a occurs faster when the slope is steep
gentle one due to the higher slope’s susceptibility
to mass wasting and the higher rate at
which new materials are exposed to
agents of mass wasting (rainwater can
easily wash away weathered materials
downslope). However in gentle slopes,
the rate of chemical weathering may
be higher. This is due to the fact that
water which is an agent of weathering
may stay longer in the gentle slopes
Time: The longer the time of exposure to
Longer time of exposure to agents of weathering agents, the higher degree of
weathering means higher rate of weathering processes will occur. When
weathering. the rock has been weakened, it is easier
to break.

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 What’s More

Activity 1. Break Me Down.

Directions: Copy the table below on a separate sheet of paper. Then,

perform the given tasks and write your observations by filling out each cell
in the table.
This activity will focus on the types of weathering and the factors
that influence the rate of weathering.

Materials:
3 pieces of antacid tablets 9 clear cups/glass
Water- hot and cold Vinegar-room temperature
Spoon Stopwatch

Procedure:
1. Label the cups according to the particle size of the antacid-whole,
broken and crushed.
2. Using a spoon break one tablet set aside. Crushed one tablet using a
spoon and set aside. The remaining one tablet, leave it as a whole.
3. Pour equal volume (half cup) of assigned liquid to the cups.
4. Drop the tablet (whole, broken, and crushed) into the appropriate
cups and record the time in seconds (s) from when the tablet has
completely dissolved and no traces of the tablet is visible.
5. Fill in the table below with your gathered data.

Dissolution Time (s)

Particle Size Room Room

temperature Hot water temperature
water vinegar
Whole Tablet
Broken Tablet
Crushed
Tablet

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 6. Plot the dissolution times in a bar graph where Y axis is the
dissolution time (s) and X axis is the Particle size (whole, broken,
crushed). Use different colors to represent the different liquids used in
the activity.

Activity 2. Am I In or Am I Out?

Directions: Identify what kind of weathering is described below. Write

P if it is physical weathering and C, if it is chemical weathering.

1. repeated impact of running water

2. grinding of rocks
3. carbon dioxide deposition in rocks
4. dissolution of rocks in water
5. oxidation of iron in rocks
6. eroding of sediments
7. cracked beneath of rocks
8. inclined slope of a river
9. high rusting chains of rocks
10. calcium carbonate gets dissolved in acidic soil found in bedrock

What I Have Learned

Activity 1. Concept Mapping

Directions: Illustrate a concept map. Fill in the box with the words
listed below to complete the diagram. Write the words on a separate sheet of
paper.

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 1.

2.
3.

4. 8.
5.
9.
6.

10.
7.

A. frost wedging E. physical weathering I. salt crystal growth

B. abrasion F. biological activity J. weathering
C. dissolution G. hydrolysis
D. oxidation H. chemical weathering

Activity 2. Draw Me!

Directions: On a separate sheet of paper, illustrate and describe how

the products of weathering are carried away by erosion and deposited
elsewhere.

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___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

What I Can Do

Activity 1. Mystery Words

Directions: Find and write the letters that corresponds to each number to
form the word. Use as many references as you can to define each of these terms.
Write you answer on a separate sheet of paper.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

1. ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____
20 5 13 16 5 18 1 20 21 18 5

2. ____ ____ ____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____

16 18 5 19 19 21 18 5

3. ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

5 18 15 19 9 15 14

4. ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

3 15 12 12 9 19 9 15 14

5. ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____
13 1 19 19 23 1 19 20 9 14 7

Activity 2. Essay.

Directions: Read and analyze the following questions. Then write your
answers on a separate sheet of paper.

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 Soil erosion is one of the natural calamities that most of the Filipino
community experiencing. What is the cause and effect of soil erosion? As a
student, what will you do to protect the community?

__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

Rubric for Essay

Scoring Rubrics for Essay

Category 5 points 4 points 3 points 2 points 1 point Points
Content The learner’s The learner’s The learner’s The learner’s The
idea is clear idea is clear idea is clear idea is clear learner’s
and list down and list down and list down and list down idea is
four example three two example one example absent
of human example of of human of human and
activities. human activities. activities. there is
activities. no listed
example
of
human
activities.
Organization The flow of The flow of The flow of The flow of
essay can be essay can be essay is a bit essay is
easily mostly difficult to difficult to
followed. followed. follow. follow.
Grammar There are no One to two Three or more Too many
grammar, grammar, errors errors in
spelling, spelling, grammar, grammar,
punctuation, punctuation, spelling, spelling,
capitalization. capitalization. punctuation, punctuation,
capitalization. capitalization.

Assessment

Directions: Read and analyze the following questions. Choose

the letter of the correct answer. Write your answer on a separate of sheet
paper.

1. Which of the following process in which a plant grows into a

cement flower box producing a crack on it?
A. abrasion C. hydrolysis
B. dissolution D. oxidation
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2. Which process is exhibited when water reacts with one mineral to
form a new mineral?
A. abrasion C. hydrolysis
B. dissolution D. oxidation

3. Which human activities may NOT result to the movement of

sediments from one place to another?
A. gardening C. building a highway
B. drying of clothes D. developing a football field

4. What type of weathering occurs when a rock is physically broken

into smaller pieces?
A. chemical C. internal
B. external D. physical

5. Country X has a high temperature and high rainfall. Which of the

following factor of weathering is most affected in this country?
A. climate C. rock structure
B. rock type D. time

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Answer Key

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References

Marquez, Edanjarlo J. and Astrid Korina S. Gabo, The Earth: Its Materials,
Processes and History. (Quezon City: St.Bernadette Publishing
House Corporation, 2016), 67-68.

Olivar, Jose Tolentino II and Anna Cherylle Morales-Ramos,Earth and Life

Science. (Quezon City: Phoenix Publishing House, Inc., 2016),35-39.

K to 12.Teaching Guide. Earth Science.

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