WEATHERING

A. What is Weathering?
Weathering is a term which describes the general process by which rocks are broken down at the
Earth’s surface into such things as sediments, clays, soils. Plant and animal life, atmosphere and
water are the major causes of weathering. Weathering breaks down and loosens the surface
minerals of rock so they can be transported away by agents of erosion such as water, wind and
ice.

There are three types of weathering:

1. Physical Weathering
In physical weathering the rocks are broken down into smaller pieces, but the chemical
composition of the rock remains the same.

a. Temperature Change (Exfoliation)

In areas such as deserts where the temperature is hot during the day, rocks get hot
and can expand by a small amount. During the night the temperature can drop
significantly making it very cold and so the rocks contract. This continuous expansion of
the rock during the day and contraction during the night exerts stress on the rock and
cracks form eventually causing pieces of the rock to fall away.

b. Freeze-thaw
Water expands when it freezes. So when water enters the cracks in a rock and freezes
it expands and pushes the cracks further apart. When the water melts, it can travel
further into the bigger cracks making the cracks even bigger when the water freezes
again. This process occurs continuously until the crack is big enough to break a piece of
the rock off.
 c. Wind, Rain and Waves
Wind can carry small particles or sand and rocks such as in sandstorms in deserts. When
these particles collide with rocks they can wear them away. Rainfall can also wear away
at rocks as can the action of waves over a long period of time.

2. Chemical Weathering
Chemical weathering transforms the original material into a substance with a different
composition and different physical characteristics.

a. Carbonation
Carbonation is the mixing of water with carbon dioxide to make carbonic acid.
Carbonation occurs on rocks which contain calcium carbonate such as limestone and
chalk. Carbonic acid dissolves or breaks down minerals in the rock. The carbonation
weathering process in some rocks, softening them and making it
easier for other forces to break the rocks apart. This type of
weathering is important in the formation of caves. This weak
“carbonic acid” is able to dissolve limestone as it seeps into cracks
and cavities. Over many years, solution of the rock can form
spectacular cave systems.
Note: Stalagmites and stalactites form in caves as water drips
from the roof, depositing some of its dissolved calcium carbonate,
as carbon dioxide is released into the air.
 b. Oxidation
Oxidation refers to the reaction of oxygen with metal elements in a rock that is iron,
forming oxides. Some rocks that contain iron are Pyroxene, amphibole, magnetite,
pyrite, and olivine. An easily recognizable example of this is rust. 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.

c. Hydrolysis
Hydrolysis is a chemical reaction caused by water. The most common example of
hydrolysis is feldspar, which can be found in granite changing to clay. When it rains,
water seeps down into the ground and comes in contact with granite rocks. The feldspar
crystals within the granite react with the water and are chemically altered to form clay
minerals, which weaken the rock, making it more likely to break.

3. Biological Weathering
Biological weathering is weathering caused by plants, animals, and microorganisms. Plants,
animals, and microorganisms release acid forming chemicals that cause weathering and also
contribute to the breaking down of rocks and land forms.

a. Weathering by plant
Trees put down roots through joints or cracks in the rock in order to find moisture. As
the tree grows, the roots gradually break the rock apart. Although this process is
physical, the pressure being exerted is by a biological process.
b. Weathering by animal
- Many animals, such as these Piddock shells, bore into rocks for protection either by
scraping away the grains or secreting acid to dissolve the rock.

- Burrowing animals like shrews, moles, earthworms, and even ants contribute to
biological weathering. In particular, these animals create holes on the ground by
excavation and move the rock fragments to the surface. As a result, these fragments
become more exposed to other environmental factors that can further enhance their
weathering.
 c. Weathering by microorganism
Even the tiniest bacteria, algae and lichens produce chemicals that help break down the
rock on which they live, so they can get the nutrients they need.

Lichen living on a rock formation

B. What is Erosion?
Erosion is the removal of surface material from Earth’s crust, primarily soil and rock
debris, and the transportation of the eroded materials by natural agencies (such as water
or wind) from the point of removal.

1. Erosion by Water
Moving water is the most important natural
erosional agent. Rain, rivers, floods, lakes,
and the ocean carry away bits of soil and
sand and slowly wash away the sediment.
Canyons are created by erosion. Over
thousands or millions of years a river’s
flowing water erodes, or wears away, soil
and rocks to form a valley.

2. Erosion by Wind
Wind is a powerful agent of erosion. Wind erosion
is a natural process that moves soil, ash, dust,
or sand from one location to another by wind
power. Wind can sometimes blow sand into
towering dunes. Some sand dunes in the Badain
Jaran section of the Gobi Desert in China, for
example, reach more than 400 meters (1,300
feet) high.
 3. Erosion by Ice
Ice, usually in the form of glaciers, can erode the
earth and create dramatic landforms. In frigid
areas and on some mountaintops, glaciers move
slowly downhill and across the land. As they move,
they transport everything in their path, from tiny
grains of sand to huge boulders.

4. Erosion by Gravity
Gravitational erosion is a process that moves rocks
and sediments downslope due to the force of
gravity. The material is transported from higher
elevations to lower elevations.

5. Erosion by Living Things

Living things can cause erosion, too. For example,
ground squirrels tunnel through soil. The tunneling
allows water and air to move into the ground. This
continues the process of erosion.

C. What is Deposition?
- Deposition is the laying down of sediment carried by wind, water, or ice. Deposition
creates many types of landforms on earth.
- Gravity and weight create rockslides on the sides of hills and mountains, depositing
rocks at the bottom.
- Wind's efforts create patterns in the sand dunes of the desert as it moves the sand
across the surface.
- Rivers create deltas when they deposit sand and sediment at their mouths, where the
water slows to meet the ocean.
- Ocean waves create beaches and sand bars as they deposit sand over time.

Sand dunes Delta