Weathering_and_Erosion

Weathering

The disintegration or decomposition of rock at or near the surface.

Mechanical Weathering

The physical breakdown of rock without changing its chemical composition.

Chemical Weathering

The chemical alteration of minerals leading to the formation of new ions in solution.

Frost Wedging

A type of mechanical weathering where water penetrates cracks, freezes, expands, and forces rocks apart.

Salt Wedging

A mechanical weathering process where minerals grow in cracks of rocks.

Biological Weathering

Weathering caused by the growth of plant roots that penetrate cracks in rocks.

Unloading (Exfoliation)

A weathering process where decreased pressure on buried rocks causes them to expand.

Thermal Expansion

A weathering process where heating and cooling cycles cause rocks to expand and contract.

Hydrolysis

A chemical weathering process where water breaks down minerals to form clays.

Dissolution

A chemical weathering process where minerals dissolve, leaving ions in solution.

Oxidation

A chemical weathering process where elements gain or lose electrons, commonly affecting iron-bearing minerals.

Erosion

The transport of unconsolidated material from one place to another by agents like water, wind, ice, and gravity.

Bed Load

Material that is transported along the bottom of a stream by rolling or sliding.

Suspended Load

Material that is held in the water column and transported by flowing water.

Deflation

A form of erosion by wind where small, loose materials are picked up and removed.

Glacial Erosion

The process where glaciers entrain rocks and sediments, depositing unsorted sediments as they melt.

Mass Wasting

The downward movement of soil and rock due to gravity.

Regolith

Loose, broken rock and mineral fragments resulting from weathering.