Weathering

What is weathering?
Weathering is a set of physical, chemical and biological processes that change the physical and chemical properties of rocks and soil at or near the earth's surface.

What is weathering
Weathering is the response of materials which were in
equilibrium within the lithosphere to conditions at or near

its contact with the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, and

perhaps still more importantly, the biosphere. Reiche, 1950 Weathering is the breakdown and alteration of minerals near the earths surface to products that are more in equilibrium with the newly imposed conditions. Olllier, 1984

More about weathering

Definition the breakdown of rock to form sediment [very small pieces of rock]
Weathering happens to rocks that are NOT MOVING Weathering is part of the Rock Cycle

Types of weathering
Mechanical (physical] Chemical Biological

Mechanical weathering breaks rocks down into smaller pieces.

Types of mechanical weathering include

frost wedging, exfoliation and thermal expansion.

Enchanted rock is a huge example of

exfoliation mechanical weathering

Chemical weathering breaks rocks down chemically adding or removing chemical elements, and changes them into other materials. Chemical weathering consists of chemical reactions, most of which involve water.

Precipitation

Evaporation

In chemical weathering, a rock is broken down by chemical reactions that change its mineral composition and physical and chemical properties

Chemical weathering happens when the minerals that make up a rock are changed, leading to the disintegration of the rock

Chemical weathering happens quickly in warm, moist environments because water is

needed for the chemical reactions. The warm weather speeds up the reactions.

Not all minerals are prone to chemical weathering. For example, feldspar and quartz, are common minerals in the rock granite, have very different levels of resistance to chemical weathering. Quartz doesnt weather very easily, but feldspar does. Over a long time, it chemically changes into clay minerals. Increasing stability Highly weatherable Olivine Augite Hornblende Biotite K-feldspar Muscovite

Highly resistant

Quartz

Chemical composition water is ideally controlled by

Climate and hydrologic conditions

Rock - water interaction

Anthropogenic inputs Direct addition of salts

Rock - Water Interaction

Two types of weathering mechanisms control water composition :

Congruent weathering mechanism : No solid by - product is formed CaCO3 + H2O + CO2 = Ca2+ + 2HCO3 Incongruent weathering mechanism : Solid by - product is formed
Feldspar + CO2 + H2O = Kaolinite + Cation + SiO2 + HCO3

Chemical Processes Dissolution Hydration Hydrolysis Direct attack by acids Chemical precipitation Base exchange Reduction of sulfate Concentration Ultrafiltration Oxidation - reduction reactions

Dissolution
Dissolution is first step in chemical evolution of water. It affects both
gases and solids. Typical regions of gas dissolution by groundwater are :

Soil zone Vadose zone / unsaturated zone Zones of oil and gas accumulations
The gases commonly interacting with groundwater include N2, Ar, O2,
H2, He, CO2, NH3, CH4 and H2S. Dissolution of gases may render the water acidic means chemically

aggressive. Degree of dissolution depends on the solubility of the

minerals, the antecedent concentration of water and the pressure and temperature of the locality.

Soluble rocks include limestones, dolomites, halites, gypsum etc. Silicates are relatively insoluble rocks.

Hydration Hydration is the penetration of water into the crystal lattice of minerals or attachment of water molecules to the ions of dissolved salts. It is first step in weathering of minerals e.g. anhydrite ------- to --------- gypsum biotite -------to --------- vermiculite

Hydrolysis
Hydrolysis is reaction of any substance with water. Hydrolysis is the reaction of an ion with water to form an associated species plus H+ or OH-. Hydrolysis of cations produces slightly acidic solution as per equation

M+ + H2O MOH + H+ Anion hydrolysis results in basic solution as per equation X- + H2O HX + OHThe process is effective only if :
Produced ions are removed from solution

Required ions are added to the solution

At equilibrium cessation of dissolution occurs

Oxidation - Reduction Reactions

These are chemical reactions in which electrons are transferred from one atom to another. In oxidation there is loss of free electrons by the substance being oxidized and in reduction there is gain of electrons. Oxidation as a process of modifying water quality is important in vadose zone due to supply of O2 from air and from CO2. Oxidation processes include oxidation of sulphides, producing Fe2O3, H2SO4 and CO2 with acids attacking carbonates, magnetite, producing limonite; and organic matter such as lignite, coal and bitumen producing CO2. Reduction is important in organic deposits constituting reducing chemical environments. In these cases oxygen may be applied from oxides, sulphates, nitrates as well as nitrites and from various gases.

Chemical Precipitation
Precipitation of dissolved mineral matter occurs due to reasons :

Reaction with ions from the solid framework to form insoluble precipitates e.g. formation of CaF2 due to reaction of F in water with Ca from country rock. Changes in temperature and pressure affecting solubility of ions

as in precipitation of tufa around spring orifice on CO2 release.

Oxidation of dissolved matter exposed to air resulting in

components of decreased solubility such as precipitation of ferric

hydroxide (Fe(OH)3) from waters containing ferrous iron (Fe(OH) 2) in solution.

Base Exchange
Ion exchange is the process in which ions and molecules adsorbed on surfaces of solid substances by physical and chemical forces (van der waals attraction and chemisorption respectively) are exchanges for ions in the water. Substances capable of ion exchange are clay minerals, zeolites, ferric oxide and organic matter because they form colloids of large surface areas. e.g. replacement of Ca by Na or Mg in bentonite resulting into natural softening of water by enrichment in Na and increased porosity and permeability of the newly formed Ca- and or Mg- based clay mineral.

Reduction of sulfate
It is due to bacteria and contact with organic matter (coal, lignite, petroleum) and results in the removal of sulfates from the transporting groundwater. One example of reaction of sulfate water in contact with methane : CaSO4 + CH4 <===> CaS + CO2 + 2H2O CaS + 2CO2 + 2H2O <======> H2S + Ca(HCO3)2

Concentration
Concentration of TDS content in groundwater may be affected by : Evaporation of water

Solution of mineral matter

Chemical reactions Concentration by evaporation is operative in the soil moisture zone and between rainfall events. The process can lead to soil / water salinisation and formation of continental salt deposits. Concentration by solution is on account of soluble minerals in the subsurface..

Summary
Structural breakdown of silicate minerals in the basalt (Equations 2 to 4) is accompanied by : release of Ca + Mg predominantly from weathering of olivine + augite with lesser contribution of Na + Ca from the plagioclase feldspar, which is subsequently affected by post dissolution geochemical changes such as cation exchange by zeolites and precipitation of CaCO3 .

How are erosion & weathering different?

Weathering involves two processes (mechanical, chemical)that often work together to break down

rocks. Both processes occur in place. No

movement is involved in weathering.

As soon as a rock particle (loosened by one of the two weathering processes) moves, we call it erosion or mass wasting.

Mass wasting is simply movement down slope due to gravity.

Rock falls, slumps, and debris flows are all examples of mass wasting.

We call it erosion if the rock particle is moved by some flowing

agent such as air, water or ice.

In a nutshell: if a particle is loosened, chemically or mechanically, but stays put,

we call it weathering.
Once the particle starts moving, we call it

erosion.

Painted Desert National Monument : Wind erosion

Biological weathering is the breakdown of rock caused by the action of living organisms, including plants, burrowing animals, and lichens.
A lichen is a combination of fungus and algae, living together in a symbiotic relationship. Lichens can live on bare rock, and they break down rocks by secreting acids and other chemicals.

Biological weathering involves processes that can be either chemical or physical in nature. Biological weathering can be considered special types of mechanical or chemical weathering.

Biological weathering What is it?

Some biological weathering processes are:

1. Rocks can break because of animal burrowing. 2. Tree roots grow into cracks and widen them, which helps physical weathering. 3. Bacteria, lichens and other organisms secrete acidic solutions, which helps chemical weathering.

Lichens on rocks cause biological weathering.

Plants growing in rocks break the rocks apart.

What is erosion?
Erosion is defined as the removal and movement of earth materials by natural agents. Some of these agents include glaciers, wind, water, earthquakes, volcanoes, tornadoes, hurricanes, mud flows, and avalanches.

What are the different types of erosion?

Water is the most important erosional agent and erodes most often as running water in streams or rivers.

Water in all its forms is erosional. Raindrops create splash erosion that moves tiny particles of soil. Water collecting on the surface of the soil collects as it moves towards tiny streams and creates sheet erosion.

Erosion by wind is known as aeolian erosion (named after Aeolus, the Greek god of winds) and usually occurs in deserts. Aeolian erosion of sand in the desert is partially responsible for the formation of sand dunes.

The erosive power of moving ice is actually a greater than the power of water. However since water is much more common, it is responsible for a greater amount of erosion on the earth's surface.

Glaciers cause erosion two ways - they pluck and abrade. Plucking takes place by water

entering cracks under the glacier, freezing,

and breaking off pieces of rock that are then

moved by the glacier. Abrasion cuts into the

rock under the glacier, scooping rock up like a bulldozer and smoothing and polishing the rock surface.

Athabasca Glacier - Jasper, Canada

Waves in oceans and other large bodies of water cause coastal erosion. The power of ocean waves is awesome; large storm waves can produce 2000 pounds of pressure per square foot. The pure energy of waves along with the chemical content of the water is what erodes the rock of the coastline.

Wave action in Calvert County Maryland