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Weathering 02

There are two main types of weathering: mechanical and chemical. Mechanical weathering breaks rocks into smaller pieces through physical processes like freeze-thaw cycling without changing the chemical composition. Chemical weathering breaks down rocks through chemical reactions, like dissolution of minerals by carbonic acid in water. Both types increase the surface area of rocks, making them more vulnerable to further weathering over time in a feedback cycle. The rate of weathering depends on climate factors like temperature, moisture, and freeze-thaw frequency.

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Adil Javed Chaudhary
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74 views26 pages

Weathering 02

There are two main types of weathering: mechanical and chemical. Mechanical weathering breaks rocks into smaller pieces through physical processes like freeze-thaw cycling without changing the chemical composition. Chemical weathering breaks down rocks through chemical reactions, like dissolution of minerals by carbonic acid in water. Both types increase the surface area of rocks, making them more vulnerable to further weathering over time in a feedback cycle. The rate of weathering depends on climate factors like temperature, moisture, and freeze-thaw frequency.

Uploaded by

Adil Javed Chaudhary
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Weathering

Weathering: the disintegration,


or breakdown of rock material
Mechanical Weathering: no change in
chemical composition--just
disintegration into smaller pieces
Chemical Weathering: breakdown as a
result of chemical reactions

CaCO3+CO2+H2O ---> Ca2+ + 2HCO3-


Mechanical Weathering

Physical breakup
• pressure release
• water: freeze - thaw cycles
• crystallization of salt in cracks
• thermal expansion and contraction

All this increases the total surface area


exposed to weathering processes.
Mechanical Weathering

Exfoliation:
Rock breaks apart in layers that are
parallel to the earth's surface; as rock is
uncovered, it expands (due to the lower
confining pressure) resulting in exfoliation.
Weathering
Mechanical Weathering
Sheet Joints
(Exfoliation)
Half Dome,
Yosemite, CA
Stone Mountain, GA
Exfoliated Domes, Yosemite
Stone Mountain, Georgia, showing the product of
exfoliation due to unloading

Stone Mountain, GA
Frost Wedging: rock breakdown caused by
expansion of ice in cracks and joints
Shattered rocks are common
in cold and alpine
environments where
repeated freeze-thaw cycles
gradually pry rocks apart.
Thermal expansion due to the extreme range of temperatures can
Weathering
shatter rocks in desert environments.
Repeated swelling and shrinking of minerals with different expansion
rates will also shatter rocks.
Role of Physical Weathering

1) Reduces rock material to smaller


fragments that are easier to
transport

2) Increases the exposed surface area


of rock, making it more vulnerable to
further physical and chemical
weathering
Rates of weathering

Joints in a rock are a


pathway for water – they
can enhance mechanical
weathering
Chemical Weathering

Definition: transformation/decomposition
of one mineral into another

Mineral breakdown
• carbonate dissolves
• primary minerals --> secondary minerals
(mostly clays)

Net loss of elements retained in the soil.


Chemical Weathering

• Water is the main operator:


– Dissolution
• Many ionic and organic compounds dissolve in
water
– Silica, K, Na, Mg, Ca, Cl, CO3, SO4
– Acid Reactions
• Water + carbon dioxide <---> carbonic acid
• Water + sulfur <---> sulfuric acid
• H+ effective at breaking down minerals
Dissolution

H2O + CO2 + CaCO3 --> Ca+2 + 2HCO3-

water + carbon dioxide + calcite


dissolve into calcium ion
and bicarbonate ion

Biological activity in soils


generates substantial CO2

Bicarbonate is the dominant


ion in surface runoff.
Chemical Weathering

• Oxidation
– Oxygen dissolved in water promotes
oxidation of sulfides, ferrous oxides,
native metals

• Organic Activity
– Plant material makes H+ ions available
Chemical Weathering

• Hydration: attachment of water


molecules to crystalline structure of
a rock, causing expansion and
weakness

• Hydrolysis: combination of hydrogen


and oxygen in water with rock to
form new substances
Chemical Weathering

Solution: process by which rock is


dissolved in water

• Is strongly influenced by pH and temperature


• When water becomes saturated, chemicals may
precipitate out forming evaporite deposits.
• Calcium carbonate (calcite, limestone), sodium
chloride (salt), and calcium sulfate (gypsum) are
particularly vulnerable to solution weathering.
This photo of Lime Sink was taken on 20 July 1932, over a week after the drawdown,
which occurred over the night of 9-10 July.

‘Karst’ landforms develop in


areas underlain with limestone
Biological Weathering

Can be both chemical and


mechanical in nature.

• roots split rocks apart

• roots produce acids


that dissolve rocks.

• tree throw

• burrowing animals
Weathering
Rates of weathering
• Climate
– Temperature and moisture characteristics

– Chemical weathering
• Most effective in areas of warm, moist climates –
decaying vegetation creates acids that enhance
weathering
• Least effective in polar regions (water is locked up as ice)
and arid regions (little water)

– Mechanical weathering
• Enhanced where there are frequent freeze-thaw cycles
Mechanical and Chemical Weathering

– Fracturing, disintegration caused by


mechanical weathering exposes more
surface area.

– Greater surface area, means more places


for chemical action to occur.

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