Geokimia

SEDIMEN

Ke - 11
2017
 Weathering
Definition
weathering: the destructive processes by which
rocks are changed on exposure to atmospheric
agents at or near the earth's surface, with little or no
transport of the altered material. Specifically, it is the
physical disintegration and chemical decomposition
of rock that produce an in-situ layer of waste and
prepare sediments for transportation.
 BATUAN UBAHAN
Perubahan TEKSTUR+MINERALOGI
dalam keadaan PADAT

P+T Kimiawi PROSES/BATUAN

Ya (P+T >>) Tidak METAMORFOSIS

Ya (P+T >>) Ya (hydrothermal)

ALTERATION

Ya (P+T <<) Ya WHEATERING

/ Pelapukan
 Why do rocks weather?
Most rocks (and minerals) form at high temperatures and
pressures and are therefore at equilibrium with the high T & P
environments
When rocks are exposed to Earths surface, their equilibrium is
disturbed, and their minerals react and experience transformation
so as to adjust to low temperature, pressure and water conditions
Three types of weathering
Physical: Mechanical breakdown of rock and regolith
Chemical: Chemical decomposition of rock by solutions (alters
composition and mineralogy of rocks) - sometimes referred to as
low temperature water-rock interactions
Biological enhancement of chemical (biochemical) and physical
weathering (biomechanical) - combined under physical and chemical
weathering
Weathering
Definition
 Weathering
Results

Smaller Pieces of Rock

Increased Surface Area
Conduits for Water
Weathering processes and products
Physical residue that is partly or
wholly chemically altered
insoluble
Regolith
Fresh Weathering
rock profile

Soluble ions released in solution

to ground & surface waters
(solutes)

Physical weathering breaks down rocks into smaller

fragments
Chemical weathering alters the original material to new
products
 Physical weathering
Breaks down rocks into smaller

Increasing weathering intensity

particles which increases surface
area for solution attack
Opens up fractures, joints and
micro-cracks in rocks due by
exerting stress and facilitate solution
access (chemical weathering)
Several types : Frost wedging, salt
weathering, unloading, thermal
weathering, bioturbation
Chemical weathering
products
Chemical Weathering/water rock
interaction
Dissolution
Simplest chemical weathering reaction is
dissolution of easily soluble minerals
(especially soluble salts)
CaSO4 Ca2+ + SO42-
Water causes ionic bonds of mineral to
dissociate into free ions
Water unaffected
Solubility Equilibrium based
Solubility of a mineral amount that dissolves in water to establish
equilibrium with the mineral and its ionic components in solution
CaCO3 Ca2+ + CO3-
Depends on the conditions - pH, temperature, surface area in
contact with fluid, other or competing ions in solution (kinetics)
Solubility for a mineral provided by equilibrium constant K, or
solubility product Ksp experimentally determined value for the
dissociation reaction Ksp calcite = aCa2+ aCO3 = 10-8.4 = 3.36 x 10-9
resulting in Ca2+ concentration of 2.4 ppm
Solutions with lower values than the Ksp will cause calcite to dissolve
into its component ions
pH is critical for some minerals quartz only dissolves at high pH
 Factors affecting weathering
Climate & Organisms
The Clorpt model = function (climate, organism, relief, parent
material, time..)
Climate precipitation & temperature
Amount of water > alters minerals, flushes solutes, affects
vegetation > generally increases rate
Seasonality of precipitation affects rate to a degree
Higher temperatures increase mineral weathering rate but
only up to a degree and depth
Controls vegetation > indirectly affects rate
Organisms (Biota)
Higher density > more organics > more carbonic acid > faster
weathering
Denser vegetation > better soil stability > deeper weathering
Related to climate
 Factors affecting weathering
Lithology & Structure
Parent Material (Lithology)
Mineralogy: easily weathered vs resistant
Olivine, glass & pyroxene = fast = volcanics fast
Quartz & K-feldspar = slow = plutonics & quartzite
slow
Porosity: high vs low
Porous sediments = better circulation = faster
Impermeable = no circulation = slower
Faults and shears
Enhance weathering rate better water circulation
Sheared regions deeply weathered
 Factors affecting weathering
Landform (relief) and Time
Relief (Landform and Tectonics)
Hill tops: better drained faster weathering
Slopes: faster weathering but faster erosion
Valleys: slower weathering, solute precipitation
Local and regional tectonics
Mountain ranges: faster erosion, more solutes (higher Ca, Na,
Mg)
Basins: Deeper weathering, retention of products, less solutes
Time
Affects all the above
Inheritance of weathering products from one climate and
landform situation to another is critical in evaluating individual
factors
 Weathering of Rock Types
Volcanic - clay

Plutonic quartz + clay

Ultramafic high smectite

See you soon.......