WEATHERING

Which comes first

Erosion or weathering?

Weathering must happen before

erosion can take place!
What is Weathering?
Weathering is simply the
chemical and/or physical
breakdown of a rock
material--weathering involves
specific processes acting on
rock materials at/or near the
surface of the Earth.
Weathering agents: water, wind, ice, animals, growing plants
 Erosion
Erosion is the physical
removal of rock particles
by an agent such as ocean
waves, running water, or
glaciers. Weathering helps
break down a solid rock
into loose particles that
Erosion agents: Water, wind, ice, gravity are easily eroded.
Transportation

Transportation is the
movement of eroded
particles by agents
such as rivers, waves,
glaciers, or wind.
 Deposition

Deposition is dropping
of sediment in a new
place.

Example: Formation of an island, sand dunes

 Types of Weathering
• MECHANICAL WEATHERING
Rocks are broken apart increasing
the surface area.
• CHEMICAL WEATHERING
Chemical reactions CHANGE
minerals.
• BIOLOGICAL WEATHERING
Living organisms contribute to
the weathering process.
Mechanical Weathering
MECHANICAL
WEATHERING
INCREASES SURFACE
AREA
MORE CHEMICAL
WEATHERING CAN
OCCUR
 Processes that cause rocks to
disintegrate :
Frost Action
Frost Action is the
mechanical effect of freezing
water on rocks – commonly
occurs as frost wedging or
frost heaving.
a. Frost Wedging Most rocks contains a system of
cracks called joints, caused by
the slow flexing of brittle rock
by deep-seated Earth forces.

Frost Wedging happens

when water gets into
cracks of a rock, freezes
& thaws over & over
again & splits the rock
b. Frost Heaving Frost Heaving lifts rock and
soil vertically. Solid rock
conducts heat faster than
soil, so on a cold winter
day, the bottom of a
partially buried rock will be
much colder than soil at
the same depth. As the
ground freezes in winter,
ice forms first under large
rock fragments in the soil.
 Pressure Release

As erosion moves sediment

from the surface, pressure is
reduced. The outside of the
rock begins to flake off.

In pressure release, also known as unloading, overlying materials (not necessarily rocks)
are removed (by erosion, or other processes), which causes underlying rocks to expand
and fracture parallel to the surface.
Unloading
 Physical Weathering
Exfoliation
Exfoliation occurs as cracks develop
parallel to the land surface a
consequence of the reduction in
pressure during uplift and erosion.
 Dome Exfoliation

Large dome-shaped rock

mass (as of granite)
produced by exfoliation.
Exfoliation domes form as the slabs of rock slip or slide off the
bedrock. E.g. Yosemite
Abrasion

Sediments carried by wind,

water, or ice wear away rock
by hitting & scraping against
other rock.
 A. Wind
Abrasive blasting, more
commonly known
as sandblasting, is the
operation of forcibly
propelling a stream of
abrasive material against a
surface under high pressure
to smooth a rough surface,
roughen a smooth surface,
shape a surface or remove
Sandstone shapes eroded
by coastal winds.
surface contaminants.
 B. Water
Fragments rub
against each other
and wears away the
surface of the rock
by abrasion.
The faster the water,
the greater the erosion.
C. Glaciers

The glacier gouges out

chunks of rock and
leaves scratches on the
rock called striations.
 Chemical Weathering

• Chemical Weathering is the chemical breakdown of

rock and minerals into new substances
• Rock Decomposition
 Oxygen
Oxidation is a
chemical reaction in
which an iron
combines with
oxygen.
OXIDATION OCCURS when free oxygen
combines chemically with metallic
elements (usually iron)

Iron + oxygen = iron oxide

The iron in the ferromagnesian silicate minerals must first be

separated from silica in the crystal structure before it can
oxidize. The iron oxide formed is the mineral hematite, which
has a brick red color when powdered. If water is present, the
iron oxide combines with water to form limonite, which are
yellowish-brown when powdered.
 Carbon Dioxide
CO2 mixing with water
creates Carbonic Acid that
slowly dissolves limestone.
(Acid in groundwater)
- Caves
 •Oxygen dissolved in
water will oxidize some
materials like nails and
rocks. (Rust)
•Carbon dioxide dissolved
in water forms a weak
acid called carbonic acid,
which helps dissolve rock
material.
Chemical Weathering of Statues, Bath, UK
 Carbonation

Water containing carbonic acid

dissolves minerals (all rain water
is slightly acidic)
Most strongly affected are
calcite minerals:
limestone and marble
 Carbonation
Stalagmites and stalactites
A stalactite is a mineral formation
that has its base on the ceiling of a
cave, usually forming a roughly
conical shape pointing downward.
A stalagmite, on the other hand,
is a mineral formation that has its
base on the floor of a cave. It
usually takes a roughly conical
shape, like a stalactite, but pointed
upwards from the floor instead.
 Carbonation
Karst Topography forms caves, caverns, and
sinkholes.
Caves and Sinkholes
 Carbonation
Hydration/ hydrolysis OCCURS WHEN Water combines
with minerals – most often in granite (mica and
feldspars) to form CLAY.
 Biological Weathering
Plant Growth
Roots of plants also
push into the rocks
and break them
apart. They act like
wedges and push the
rocks apart.
Animals
Little animals also help
weathering by burrowing
and digging through the
ground.

• Ants, earthworms, rabbits,

woodchucks, and other
animals dig holes in the soil.
• These holes allow air and water
to reach the bedrock and
weather it.
Even the tiniest
bacteria, algae and
lichens produce
chemicals that help
break down the rock
on which they live, so
they can get the
nutrients they need. Many animals, such as these
Piddock shells, bore into rocks
for protection either by
scraping away the grains or
secreting acid to dissolve the
rock.
 Geological Works of Rivers
•During the life while flowing from head to mouth, the
rivers are capable of exerting greatly modifying
influence over the topography of the region through
which they flow.
•The geological work by river may be broadly divided
into three well-defined phases: erosion, transport and
deposition.
•Prolonged erosion by a river and the associated
streams produces many interesting and important
surface features along their channels directly and in
the drainage basin in an indirect manner some of
these features develop, with the passage of time to
major geomorphological landforms.
Stream is a body of running water that is
confined in a channel and moves downhill under
the influence of gravity.

Stream implies size; rivers are large, streams

somewhat smaller, and brooks or creeks are even
smaller.

Geologists use stream for any body of running

water.
The headwaters of a stream are the upper part of the
stream near its source in the mountains.

The mouth is the place where a stream enters the sea,

lake, or a larger stream.

A stream normally stays in its stream channel, a long,

narrow depression eroded by the stream into rock or
sediment.
The stream banks are the sides of the channel; the streambed
is the bottom of the channel.

Sometimes, particularly during heavy rains, water runs off as

sheetwash , a thin layer of unchanneled water flowing
downhill.

Sheetwash, along with the violent impact of raindrops on the

land surface, can produce considerable sheet erosion, in which
thin layer of surface material, usually topsoil, is removed by
the flowing sheet of water.
Overland sheetwash becomes concentrated in small
channels, forming tiny streams called rills. Rills merge
to form small streams, and small streams join to form
larger streams.
 Factors Affecting Stream Erosion and
Deposition
• Velocity – the distance water travels in stream per
unit time. High velocity results in erosion and
transportation; low velocity causes sediment
deposition. Slight changes in velocity can cause
great changes in the sediment load carried by the
river.
The discharge of a stream is the volume of water that flows past a
given point in a unit time.

To handle the increased discharge, these streams increase in width

and depth downstream.

During floods, a stream’s discharge and velocity increase. Stream

erosion and transportation generally increase enormously as a
result of a flood’s velocity and discharge. As flood recede, both
velocity and discharge decrease, leading to the deposition of a
blanket of sediment, usually mud, over the flooded area.
Shape of Channel and roughness

A. Semicircular channel allows stream to flow

rapidly
B. Wide shallow channel increases friction, slowing
down river
C. Rough boulder-strewn channel slows river
Stream Gradient - it controls the stream’s velocity,
the downhill slope of the bed or the water surface
 Stream erosion

Hydraulic Action – refers to the

ability of the flowing water to pick up
and move rock and sediment. The
force of running water swirling into a
crevice in a rock can be carried away
by the stream. Hydraulic force can
also erode loose material from
stream bank on the outside of a
curve.
Solution – ordinarily slow process but can be an
effective process of weathering, because it is a
response to surface chemical conditions, erosion
because it removes materials. A stream flowing
over a limestone, will gradually dissolves the
rock, deepening the stream channel.
Abrasion – the grinding away of stream channel
by the friction and impact of the sediment load.
Sand and gravel tumbling along near the bottom
of the stream wear away the streambed much
as moving sand paper wears away wood.
 Potholes
These are various shaped depressions of
different dimensions that are developed in
the river bed by excessive localized
erosion by the streams. The pot holes are
generally cylindrical or bowl shaped in
outline these are commonly formed in the
softer rocks occurring at critical location in
the bedrock of a stream.
• The formation process for a pothole may
be initiated by a simple plucking out of a
protuding or outstanding rock projection
at the river bed by hydraulic action.
 River Valley
A valley may be defined as a
low land surrounded on sides by
inclined hill slopes and
mountain. Every major river is
associated with a valley of its
own. In fact, rivers are
responsible for the origin,
development and modification
of their valleys through well-
understood process of river
erosion.
 Waterfalls
• These are magnificent jumps
made by stream or river made by
stream or river water at certain
specific parts of their course
where there is a sudden and
considerable drop in the gradient
of the channel.
• Many falls are easily attributed to
unequal erosion of the channel
rocks within a short distance due
to inherent nature of the rocks.
 Stream Terraces
• These are bench like ledges or flat surfaces that occur on the
sides of many river valley. From a distance, they may appear as
successions of several stesps of a big natural staircase rising up
the riverbed.
 Stream Transportation
The bed load is large or heavy
sediment particles that travel
on the stream bed.

Traction – rolling, sliding, or

dragging

Saltation – short leaps or

bounces off
The suspended load is sediment that is
light enough to remain lifted
indefinitely above the bottom by the
water turbulence.

Soluble products of chemical

weathering processes can make up a
substantial dissolved load in a stream.
Deposition by Rivers
• The entire load of a stream or a river will normally remain in transport
unless there is a change in one or other factor responsible for its
transport. The process of dropping down of its loads by any moving
natural agent is technically called deposition. Wind rivers, glaciers and
marine water are important natural agent that make typical deposits.
Types of Deposits
• Alluvial fans and cones: Thesea are cone shaped accumulation of
stream deposits that are commonly found at places where small
intermittent streamlets coming down from hill slopes enter the low
lands.
• Natural Levees: these are essentially riverbank deposits made by a
river along its bank during floods.
• The natural levees are sometimes helpful in preventing further
flooding in a river provided the volume of water a new perspective
flood is not much higher than that of a previous floods.
Types of Deposits
• Deltas: deltas are defined as alluvial deposits of roughly triangular
shape that are deposited by major river at their mouth, i.e. where
they enter a sea.
• Channel deposits: Many streams are forced by some natural causes to
deposit some of their loads along the river bed. These are so-called
channel deposits. They are of great economical use being the source
of sands and gravel quite suitable for use as construction materials.
River Meandering
• When a stream flows along a curved, zigzag path acquiring a
loop-shaped course, it is said to mender. Menders are developed
mostly in the middle and lower reaches of major stream where lateral
erosion and depositions along opposite banks become almost
concurrent geological activities of the stream, when a stream is
flowing through such a channel, it cannot be assumed to have
absolutely uniform velocities all across its width. Thus the same river
is eroding its channel on the concave side and making its progress
further inland whereas on the convex side it is depositing. A loop
shaped outline for the channel is a natural outcome where a stream
seen from a distance.
The Oxbow Lakes
• In the advanced stages of a meandering stream only relatively narrow
strips of land separate the individual loops from each other. During
high-water times, as during small floods, when the stream acquires
good volume of water, it has a tendency to flow straight, some of the
intervening strips of land between the loops get eroded. The stream
starts flowing straight in those limited stretches, thereby leaving the
loops or loops on the sides either completely detached or only slightly
connected. This isolated curved or looped shaped area of the river,
which often contains some water are called Oxbow lakes.