WEATHERI

NG
WEATHERING
Weathering is the breakdown of rocks at the
earth’s surface by the action of rainwater,
extremes of temperature, and biological
activity. It does not involve the removal of rock
material. There are three types of weathering:
physical, chemical and biological.The
weathering of rocks due to the physical and
chemical processes that take place in the rocks
Another form is the changes that take place deep down
the rock, due to chemical action. Thus, there are two
processes that constitute weathering of rocks.
Mechanical Chemical Weathering
Disintegration In this process the rock
In this process the rock is (mineral assemblage) decomposes
split into smaller pieces or even to other products. The weathered
soils, but the character of the product and original rock grains
product of this type of need not be the same.
weathering of a given rock is
the same.
• The process of weathering
represents an adjustment of the
minerals of which a rock is
composed to the conditions
prevailing on the surface of the
Earth. As such, weathering of rocks
is brought about by physical
• Weathering also is controlled by the presence of
discontinuities in that they provide access into a rock
mass for the agents of weathering. Some of the earliest
effects of weathering are seen along discontinuity
surfaces.
• Weathering then proceeds inwards so that the rock mass
may develop a marked heterogeneity with corestones of
relatively unweathered material within a highly
weathered matrix.
• Discontinuities in carbonate rock masses are enlarged by
dissolution, leading to the development of sinkholes and
• Civil Engineers are interested in
weathering of rocks as they meet with
the products of weathering as well as
the original rock itself in their
construction.
• It is always necessary to see that:
1. To what extent the area under
consideration for a proposed
project has been affected by
weathering and
2. What may be possible effects of
 MECHANICAL WEATHERING
• Mechanical or physical weathering is
particularly effective in climatic
regions that experience significant
diurnal changes of temperature. This
does not necessarily imply a large
range of temperature, as frost and
thaw action can proceed where the
range is limited.
• Alternate freeze–thaw action
causes cracks, fissures, joints
and some pore spaces to be
widened.
• As the process advances,
angular rock debris is
gradually broken from the
parent body.
• The freeze-thaw cycle is a
major cause of damage to
construction materials such as
 • The mechanical effects of weathering are
well displayed in hot deserts, where wide
diurnal ranges of temperature cause rocks to
expand and contract.
• The effects of exfoliation are concentrated at
the corners
• Exfoliation occurs as and edges of rocks so that their
outcrops
cracks develop gradually become rounded
parallel
to the land surface a
consequence of the
reduction in pressure
during uplift and
 There are three ways whereby salts within a rock
can cause its mechanical breakdown: by pressure of
crystallization, by hydration pressure, and by
differential thermal expansion.
Under certain conditions, some salts
may crystallize or recrystallize to
different hydrates that occupy a
larger space (being less dense) and
exert additional pressure, that is,
hydration pressure. The
crystallization pressure depends on
the temperature and degree of
supersaturation of the solution,
whereas the hydration pressure
 There are two types of mechanical
Block Disintegration
weathering:
In block disintegration massive rock
is broken up to large blocks
The agents of
mechanical
weathering are:
• Temperature
Granular Disintegration
Granular Disintegration results from the loss changes
of cohesion between individual mineral grains. • Living things
This takes place more on the coarser variety of
rocks like granite.
like trees and
those that bore
holes
 Chemical Weathering
In the chemical weathering, the
product of weathering is different from
the parent rock as it undergoes chemical
changes. The changes that can happen
are such as:
• Carbonation
• Solution (as in limestones)
• Hydration
• Oxidation
 Transport of Products of Weathering
The weathered products can remain in place or they can be
also transported by water or wind. If they remain in place, they
become residual soils. They may be transported and may
become sedimentary rocks or become alluvial soils. The agents
that transport these materials are mainly:
• Water in the forms of steams of rivers,
• Wind that blows soils from one place to the other, especially
in the dry areas.
• Glaciers in polar regions, the regolith. The mantle of
unconsolidated material above bedrock consisting of
 Table shows the classification of regolith.
(The soil formed out of the parent rock below
and still remains in situ is called residual soil)
Type Name Details
• In situ • (a) Residual deposits • Laterite, gravel, sand clay
materials along with rocks
• (b) Cumulative deposits • Peat, organic soils,
chemical precipitates etc.
• Transported • (a) Gravity deposits • Talus, materials from earth
materials due to creep etc.
• (b) Alluvial deposits • Alluvial, swamp deposits
• (c) Aeolian deposits • Dunes, loess
(wind-blown)
• (d) Lacustine deposits • Silt, clay, sand etc.
(lake deposits)
Type of Regolith at a Place
The layers of weathered rocks, soil etc. lying over bedrock is
technically called regolith.
For this purpose of studying the geology of soil deposits we
divide soil deposits into the following five groups:
• River deposits ▪️ Sea deposits
• Lake deposits ▪️ Wind Deposits
• Shore deposits

Symbols Used to Describe the State of Weathering

of Rocks
The following symbols are sometimes used to describe the state
of weathering of rocks in our geological field survey of a site.
• Completely Weathered Rock Materials (CWRM)
• Highly Weathered Rock Materials (HWRM)
• Moderately Weathered Rock Materials (MWRM)
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