WEATHERING, SOIL EROSION

AND MASS WASTING:

SURFACE PROCESSES
Jerry De Leon Taay
Subject Teacher
 WEATHERING
When rocks are breaking into
smaller pieces whether
physically or chemically is
known as weathering
 Physical and Chemical
Weathering

• Happens when rocks break up into

tiny pieces without a change in their
composition.
 Types of Mechanical
Weathering

1.Frost Wedging
• It is a process in
which water freezes
in a crack of a rock
and then the
expansion edges
the rock apart.
 2. Pressure Release

• Process wherein tectonic

forces lift deeply buried
rocks close to the surface
and then erosion
removes overlying rock,
removing the pressure
and causing the rock to
expand and fracture.
 3. Abrasion

•A process that
consist of the
grinding and
rounding of rocks
surfaces by friction
and impact caused
by waves and
glaciers.
 Organic activities

• A process in which a
crack in a rock is
expanded by plant roots
or broken by animals
and human activities.
 Thermal Expansion
• Occurs when
temperature
changes rapidly,
causing the
surface of the
rocks to heat or
cool.
 CHEMICAL WEATHERING
• Happens when rocks
break down into tiny
pieces and change
rocks compositions or
internal structure of
minerals. Some of its
causes are oxidation,
leaching, hydration,
and carbonation.
 TYPES OF CHEMICAL
WEATHERING
• Dissolution—a process in which a mineral or rock
dissolves in water forming a solution like halite
(rock salt) dissolve in water.
• Hydrolysis—a process in which a mineral reacts
with water to form a new minerals that has water
as part of its crystal structure like feldspar to clay.
• Oxidation—a process in which a mineral
decomposes when it reacts with oxygen like the
rusting of iron.
 Soil Erosion
Is a surface process
characterized by removal of
rock particles from where
they were formed. It is due to
some agents such as water,
wind, waves, rain, and ice.

Running water is
considered as the major and
universal agent of soil
erosion.
 Human Activities that
commonly cause Soil Erosion
1. Kaingin farming or Slash/ Burn Method

Farmers that don’t own lands for farming cut

down trees and burn an area for planting
their crops. After years of planting, the soil
loses its fertility and farmers move on to
other areas to have another kaingin without
replanting the area they once occupied.
 2. Logging
• The cutting down of
trees for industrial
purposes, some don’t
follow government
regulations and
some practice illegal
logging, destroying
forest covers.
 3. Infrastructure
• Construction of roads, bridges, dams, resort, housing
structures may cause soil erosion because of poor
planning, inadequate provision for drainage and
unprotected road cuts.
 4. Mining
• Many mining companies dig and loosen rocks
in the mountains and expose large areas to
weathering and erosion.
 5. Overgrazing
• Occur in areas where there are farms for
livestock like cattle, sheep, goats where grasses
are consumed and eventually disappear, losing
soil cover that may protect the area from
landslide and flooding.
 Methods could rehabilitative
and preventive
1.Rehabilitative Method
Used in baldly eroded areas
Involve the use of vegetative and
engineering structure (mechanical
method)
 Vegetative method

• Cover cropping—
bare lands are
planted with crops/
crop rotation
• Strip cropping—
cultivate and
uncultivated areas
are planted
alternately in rows.
• Contour Tillage—soil is
tiled across and not
along the slopes
• Terracing—putting
terrace to slow down
the flow of water, it
prevents the formation
of gullies, retains run-
oof water and protects
human settle.
 Mechanical Method

• Riprapping—usually
done on a slope,
covered with rocks
fitted and cemented
together
• Farm ponds—
constructed on land
depressions or holes to
collect water store it
during the rainy season
 2. Preventive Method
• Used in slightly eroded areas
• Involves forest fire prevention, proper land
use, forest management, proper road
construction and education of the people.