Department of Education

Earth Science
Grade 11
Exogenic Processes
(Weathering)
Second Quarter – Week 1

Lyric S. Bantiles
Writer
Vienne M. Pascual
Dr. Darylle G.Hilapo
Validators
Dr. Louie M. Valdez
Armida S. Oblinada
Quality Assurance Team

Schools Division Office – Muntinlupa City

Student Center for Life Skills Bldg., Centennial Ave., Brgy. Tunasan, Muntinlupa City
(02) 8805-9935 / (02) 8805-9940

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Most Essential Learning Competency
Describe how rocks undergo weathering (S11ES-IIa-22).
Explain why the Earth’s interior is hot S11ES-IIb-c-23).

Directions. Answer the following questions. Choose the letter of the best answer .
1. The picture shows a large rock breaking apart. Which
of these is MOST likely making the rock break apart?
A. hot sunlight C. plant roots
B. falling leaves D. running water

2. Which of the following is NOT a rapid (fast) change in

Earth's surface?
A. landslides C. erosion
B. volcanoes D. earthquakes

3. The primary source of the exogenic process.

A. wind B. moon C. sun D. water

4.Which are considered as Chemical Weathering?

A. Biological weathering B. Exfoliation C. Rootwedging D.
Oxidation
5.Separation and removal of weathered and unweathered rocks and soil from its
substrate due to gravity or transporting agents.
A. Transport B. Erosion C. Weathering D.Mass
Wasting

6.Caused by the effects of changing temperature on rocks, causing the rock to

break apart. The process is sometimes assisted by water.
A. Chemical Weathering C. Biotic Weathering
B. Mechanical Weathering D. Mass Wasting

7.Caused by rain water reacting with the mineral grains in rocks to form new
minerals (clay) and soluble salts. These reactions occur particularly when the
water is slightly acidic.
A. Physical Weathering C. Soil Erosion
B. Chemical weathering D. None of the above

8.It is the weathering or disintegration of rocks caused by living organisms.

A. Biotic Weathering C. Soil Erosion
B. Biological Weathering D. All of the above

9. Deltas are built up by -____________

A. deposition C. abrasion
B. leaching D. D. erosion

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10. How does freezing water cause the weathering of rocks? The freezing water
______________________.
A. keeps the rocks in place
B. makes the rocks last longer
C. expands cracks and breaks rocks
D. causes rocks to fall in landslides.

Physical weathering (or mechanical weathering) disintegrates rocks,

breaking them into smaller pieces. Chemical weathering decomposes rocks
through chemical reactions that change the original rock-forming minerals.
Weathering occurs as a response to the low pressure, low temperature, and
water and oxygenrich nature of the Earth’s surface.
Physical weathering and chemical weathering almost always occur
together in nature and reinforce each other.
An example scenario would be, when a rock is physically broken down
into smaller pieces, the amount of surface area exposed to weathering agents
increase. Hence, chemical weathering is enhanced. As an effect of the
chemical weathering, the rock weakens, thus becoming more susceptible to
physical weathering.

Weathering describes the breaking down or dissolving of rocks and

minerals on the surface of the Earth. Water, ice, acids, salts, plants, animals,
and changes in temperature are all agents of weathering.
Once a rock has been broken down, a process called erosion
transports the bits of rock and mineral away. No rock on Earth is hard
enough to resist the forces of weathering and erosion.
Weathering and erosion constantly change the rocky landscape of
Earth. Weathering wears away exposed surfaces over time. The length of
exposure often contributes to how vulnerable a rock is to weathering. Rocks,
such as lavas, that are quickly buried beneath other rocks are less
vulnerable to weathering and erosion than rocks that are exposed to agents
such as wind and water.
As it smoothes rough, sharp rock surfaces, weathering is often the first
step in the production of soils. Tiny bits of weathered minerals mix with
plants, animal remains, fungi, bacteria, and other organisms. A single type
of weathered rock often produces infertile soil, while weathered materials
from a collection of rocks is richer in mineral diversity and contributes to
more fertile soil. Soils types associated with a mixture of weathered rock
include glacial till, loess, and alluvial sediments.

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 Weathering is often divided into the processes of mechanical
weathering and chemical weathering. Biological weathering, in which living
or once-living organisms contribute to weathering, can be a part of both
processes.

Mechanical Weathering
Mechanical weathering, also called physical weathering and
disaggregation, causes rocks to crumble.
Water, in either liquid or solid form, is often a key agent of mechanical
weathering. For instance, liquid water can seep into cracks and crevices in
rock. If temperatures drop low enough, the water will freeze. When water
freezes, it expands. The ice then works as a wedge. It slowly widens the
cracks and splits the rock. When ice melts, liquid water performs the act of
erosion by carrying away the tiny rock fragments lost in the split. This
specific process (the freeze-thaw cycle) is called frost weathering or
cryofracturing.

Temperature changes can also contribute to mechanical weathering

in a process called thermal stress. Changes in temperature cause rock to
expand (with heat) and contract (with cold). As this happens over and over
again, the structure of the rock weakens. Over time, it crumbles. Rocky
desert landscapes are particularly vulnerable to thermal stress. The outer
layer of desert rocks undergo repeated stress as the temperature changes
from day to night. Eventually, outer layers flake off in thin sheets, a process
called exfoliation.

Exfoliation contributes to the formation of bornhardts, one of the

most dramatic features in landscapes formed by weathering and erosion.
Bornhardts are tall, domed, isolated rocks often found in tropical areas.

Changes in pressure can also contribute to exfoliation due to

weathering. In a process called unloading, overlying materials are removed.
The underlying rocks, released from overlying pressure, can then expand. As
the rock surface expands, it becomes vulnerable to fracturing in a process
called sheeting.

Salt also works to weather rock in a process called haloclasty.

Saltwater sometimes gets into the cracks and pores of rock. If the saltwater
evaporates, salt crystals are left behind. As the crystals grow, they put
pressure on the rock, slowly breaking it apart. Salt upwelling, the geologic

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process in which underground salt domes expand, can contribute to
weathering of the overlying rock.

Plants and animals can be agents of mechanical weathering. The seed

of a tree may sprout in soil that has collected in a cracked rock. As the roots
grow, they widen the cracks, eventually breaking the rock into pieces. Over
time, trees can break apart even large rocks. Even small plants, such as
mosses, can enlarge tiny cracks as they grow.

Animals that tunnel underground, such as moles and prairie dogs,

also work to break apart rock and soil. Other animals dig and trample rock
aboveground, causing rock to slowly crumble.

Chemical weathering changes the molecular structure of rocks and

soil. For instance, carbon dioxide from the air or soil sometimes combines
with water in a process called carbonation. This produces a weak acid,
called carbonic acid, that can dissolve rock. Carbonic acid is especially
effective at dissolving limestone. When carbonic acid seeps through
limestone underground, it can open up huge cracks or hollow out vast
networks of caves.

Sometimes, chemical weathering dissolves large portions of

limestone or other rock on the surface of the Earth to form a landscape called
karst. In these areas, the surface rock is pockmarked with holes, sinkholes,
and caves.

Another type of chemical weathering works on rocks that contain iron.

These rocks turn to rust in a process called oxidation. Rust is a compound
created by the interaction of oxygen and iron in the presence of water. As
rust expands, it weakens rock and helps break it apart.
Hydration is a form of chemical weathering in which the chemical
bonds of the mineral are changed as it interacts with water. One instance of
hydration occurs as the mineral anhydrite reacts with groundwater. The
water transforms anhydrite into gypsum, one of the most common minerals
on Earth.

Another familiar form of chemical weathering is hydrolysis. In the

process of hydrolysis, a new solution (a mixture of two or more substances)
is formed as chemicals in rock interact with water. In many rocks, for
example, sodium minerals interact with water to form a saltwater solution.

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 Living or once-living organisms can also be agents of chemical
weathering. The decaying remains of plants and some fungi form carbonic
acid, which can weaken and dissolve rock. Some bacteria can weather rock
in order to access nutrients such as magnesium or potassium.

Clay minerals, including quartz, are among the most common

byproducts of chemical weathering. Clays make up about 40% of the
chemicals in all sedimentary rocks on Earth.

Weathering and People

Weathering is a natural process, but human activities can speed it up.
For example, certain kinds of air pollution increase the rate of weathering.
Burning coal, natural gas, and petroleum releases chemicals such as
nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere. When these chemicals
combine with sunlight and moisture, they change into acids. They then fall
back to Earth as acid rain.

Acid rain rapidly weathers limestone, marble, and other kinds of

stone. The effects of acid rain can often be seen on gravestones, making
names and other inscriptions impossible to read.

Activity # 1
Break Me Down.
This activity will focus on the types of weathering and the factors that
influence the rate of weathering.
Prepare the following materials:
(3) three antacid (sodium bicarbonate) tablets
(3) three clear plastic cups
Preparing nine set-ups for this activity: whole, broken, and crushed
antacid tablets each added to assigned liquid –room temperature water,
hot water, and room temperature vinegar.

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Procedure:
1. Label the cups according to the particle size of the antacid they will be
dissolving: whole, broken, crushed. Use a mortar and pestle to break and
crush the two tablets while leaving one of the tablets whole.
2. Put equal volume (100ml) of assigned liquid to the cups. Drop the tablet
(whole, broken, crushed) into the appropriate cups and record the time
from when the tablet is added to the liquid until when the tablet has
completely dissolved and no traces of the tablet is visible.

3. In each setup, as you drop the tablet into the cup record the time.
4. Fill the table with dissolution times (in seconds) they have recorded.

Room Hot water Room

temperature temperature
water vinegar
Whole tablet
Broken tablet
Crushed tablet

5. Plot the dissolution times in a bar graph where Y axis is the

dissolution time (s) and X axis is the Particle size (whole, broken, crushed).
They should use different colors to represent the different liquids used in
the activity.
Guide Questions:
1. Which tablet size and liquid combination resulted in fastest dissolution
times?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
2. What is the relationship between particle size and time it takes for the
tablet to dissolve? How does this relationship apply to weathering in
nature?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

3. Using the activity as a model, explain how mechanical weathering

(breaking or crushing) contribute to chemical weathering (dissolution)? How
can you demonstrate that chemical weathering can hasten mechanical
weathering?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

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4. Compare dissolution times in room temperature water and hot water.
Using this as a model, what can you deduce about the relationship between
temperature and weathering rate? _____________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

5. Is there marked difference in the dissolution rate in water and vinegar

both at room temperature? What caused the difference? What does
dissolution in vinegar simulate in nature?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

6. In what environment would weathering rate be fastest? Slowest? Explain

your reasons based on the observations from this lab activity.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

1. Spheroidal Weathering is a form of chemical weathering that occurs

when a rectangular block is weathered from three sides at the corners and
from two sides along its edges. It is also called “onion skin” weathering.

2. Frost wedging- when water gets inside the joints, alternate freezing and
thawing episodes pry the rock apart.

3. Salt crystal growth- force exerted by salt crystal that formed as water
evaporates from pore spaces or cracks in rocks can cause the rock to fall
apart.

4. Abrasion – wearing away of rocks by constant collision of loose particles

5. Biological activity – plants and animals (including humans) as agents

of mechanical weathering.

Major processes of chemical weathering:

a. Dissolution – dissociation of molecules into ions; common example
includes dissolution of calcite and salt
b. Oxidation- reaction between minerals and oxygen dissolved in water
c. Hydrolysis- change in the composition of minerals when they react
with water

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Answer the Question:
How and why the factors such as climate, rock type, rock structure,
topography and time specifically affect the type, extent, and rate of
weathering?
______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________.

Directions. Answer the following questions. Choose the letter of the best
answer
1.Bobby observed that a metal trash can was covered with rust. What type
of weathering caused the rust on the trash can?
A. Mechanical weathering C. Chemical weathering
B. Wind weathering D. Erosion weathering

2.What is likely to cause cracks on the sidewalk?

A. Repeated freezing and thawing of water C. Both and A and B
B. Tree roots or plant roots growing bigger D. Neither A or B

3.What human activities can increase the rate of weathering?

A. Increasing the amount of acid rain
B. Paving over large portions of land
C. All of the other answers.
D. Strip mining and agriculture.

4.A student hiking in a rock area on a mountain notices that wide, deep
cracks have formed in some of the large rocks. Some of the cracks are so
large that the rocks have broken apart. Which process most likely caused
these rocks to crack and creak?
A. Erosion by wind C. Erosion by fast-moving
B. Water freezing and thawing D. Sediments being deposited.

5.Which type of climate would cause the greatest rate of weathering?

A. Cold and dry C. Warm and humid (wet)
B. Cold and humid (wet) D. Warm and dry

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6. The surfaces of old concrete statues are often covered with small holes or
pits. Which of these MOST LIKELY causes these holes or pits?
A. The concrete becomes pitted as water freezes in small cracks in
the statue.
B. The concrete is chipped away by sand particles blown by strong
winds
C. The concrete is chemically weathered by acid rain.
D. Long exposure to sunlight causes the pits to form.

7.When Joe saw the Rocky

Mountains for the first time, he
exclaimed, "These mountains are
much younger than ours back East!"
Which feature supports his
conclusion that the Rockies were
relatively young mountains?
A. Their sedimentary layers are still exposed
B. They have rounded tops
C. They have sharp peaks
D. Weathering has not yet hardened the rock.

8.What is the weathering process in which rocks are broken down into
smaller pieces (sediments) and do not change the rock composition?
A. Acid weathering C. Chemical weathering
B. Gravity weathering D. Mechanical weathering

9.Which of the following is the most important agent of chemical

weathering to form this cave?
A. Water - It can carry acid and dissolve rock
B. Erosion - Moves the rocks from one place to
another
C. Wind - It displaces rocks
D. Exfoliation - New cracks give chemical
reactions the chance to operate

10. How are canyons formed?

A. Wind blows sand into high piles, which form the canyon walls.
B. Rivers erode soil and rock over time, leaving behind canyon walls.
C. Gravity causes rocks to fall from mountain sides onto valley
floors.
D. Ice freezes and thaws in cracks of rocks, and the cracks become
canyons.
Answer Key

10. b
9. a A 10.
8. d C 9.
7. c C 8.
6. c B 7.
5. c B 6.
4. b B 5.
3. c D 4. ,
2. c C 3.

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1. c C 2.
test C 1.
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