PT #1 Earth’s external processes and Types of Weathering

Weathering

the disintegration and decomposition of material at or near the surface

Erosion

the incorporation and transportation of material by a mobile agent, usually water, wind, or ice

Mass wasting

the transfer of rock material downslope under the influence of gravity ( unlike the other external processes it takes seconds )

Mechanical weathering

Breaking of rocks into smaller pieces

Processes of mechanical weathering

Frost wedging, Unloading, Organisms, Jointing

Frost wedging

Expansion and contraction of water as it freezes and thaws in cracks of rocks, leading to their fragmentation. and Salt growth

Unloading

Results in sheeting or exfoliation

Organisms

plants, animals, and microbes contribute to mechanical weathering by physically breaking down rocks.

Jointing

Fractures created by heating/cooling

Chemical weathering

Destruction of rock by chemically altering mineral composition.

(By-products are clays, silica, and rust)

Processes of chemical weathering

what processes are the following

-Hydrolysis

-Acidification

-Oxidation

Hydrolysis

dissolving minerals by Water

Acidification

dissolving minerals by acid

Carbonic Acid

acidic rainwater

Oxidation

dissolving minerals by Oxygen