AICE Marine Science Chapter 2 - 2.2 Weathering, erosion and sedimentation

weathering

The wearing down or breaking of rocks through physical, chemical organic means

Erosion

A natural process where material is worn away from the earth's surface and transported elsewhere

Sedimentation

The position of suspended particles from water

The three categories of weathering:

Chemical, physical and organic (biological)

Chemical weathering

Occurs when the chemical composition of rock changes through exposure to water or oxygen

Physical weathering

( also known as mechanical weathering)

cosmo rocks are broken into smaller pieces without changing their chemical composition

- temperature change

Organic weathering

Relies on living organisms to complete the weather and process

for example, lichen release special compounds that break down the rock into smaller protocols, eating the production of soil for the ecosystem

Four types of erosion

Ice, gravity, wind and water

ice erosion

Associated with glaciers

- when glaciers move overland it crushes rocks. The sediments are forms are carried within the bottom of the glacier as it moves. When the glacier reaches new locations it releases and drops the sentiments

Gravity erosion

Landslides

- rocks from cliff edges breaks and falls somewhere else

Wind erosion

when the wind picks up dirt and dust and moves it from one place to another

Water erosion

when streams, river, and oceans cut into the land wearing away the soil and rocks moving them elsewhere.

Sedimentation

The delivery, or deposition, of these particles in a new location

Delta

A low line triangular area at the mouth of a river formed by the deposition of sediments

littoral zone

An area of shore will land meet sea also known as the intertidal region

** a area of a shoreline that falls between highest high-water mark and lowest low-water mark during a spring tide

Littoral zone is varied and categorized according to:

1. Shape of the Shore

2. wave action and erosion

3. The substrate that makes up the shore

4. The organisms that live there

Morphology

the study of the forms of things

- focus on the slope of the short and the size of the sediment found on the shore

Rocky Shores

Areas of Shoreline characterized by the presidents of rocky substrate

rocks along the rocky shore often exist in a...

Gradient

- the largest rocks occur farthest away from the water at the highest watermark in the smallest rocks occur near the low watermark

Sandy Shores

Made of loose deposits of sand, small pieces of gravel, and shells

How are sandy shores formed?

- Erosion of sandstone

- Deposition of sediments by waves

Muddy Shores

Found and protected regions and are least exposed to weathering and erosion

how are estuaries forms?

They are formed in sheltered or partially enclosed areas where freshwater and saltwater meet. The mix of water is called brackish

Turbidity

The level of transparency loss water has due to the presence of suspended particles in the water The higher the turbidity, the harder it is to see through the water

Water in estuaries

Murky with high turbidity

Where do deltas form?

Where:

1. Rivers entering the sea are carrying large sediment loads

2. A broad continental shelf margin exists at the river mouth to provide a platform for sediment accumulation

3. Low-energy environments

4. Tidal range is low

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