WEATHERING

The Riverdeep Academy

Ms. Wenslette Imee C. Balauro
 Weathering
The surface of Earth's crust, called lithosphere,
is constantly changing. Rocks break up into smaller
pieces in a process called weathering. This occurs
whenever rocks on or near Earth's surface are
exposed to air, water, and living things.
Weathering can be classified into two general
types: physical and chemical.
 Physical Weathering
Weathering can break a large, solid mass of
rock into loose fragments. The process of breaking
down rocks without changing their chemical
composition is called physical (or mechanical)
weathering.
There are some factors that cause physical
weathering. Human activities and movement of
plants and animals can cause rocks to fall apart.
Abrasion, exfoliation, change in temperature, and
rain can also trigger physical weathering.
 Causes of Physical Weathering
Movements of plants and animals cause rocks to break
apart into smaller pieces. A seed may find its way into a crack
in a rock and germinate there. As the plant grows, tiny rootlets
go deeper into the crack in search of water. The growing
rootlets thicken and press against the sides of the crack,
widening and extending the crack. Over the years, the rock
gradually breaks apart.
As roots of mosses and lichens grow and decay, they
produce an acid that dissolves rock particles. This process
further accelerates the breaking up of rocks.
More than 100 years ago, English scientist Charles
Darwin (1809-1892) calculated that in 1 acre of
land, earthworms bring as much as 10 metric tons
of rock particles on its surface each year.
Ants, termites, woodchucks, moles, and other
burrowing animals also contribute to physical
weathering. The burrows that these animals create
allow air and water to penetrate deeper beneath the
Earth's surface, weathering the underlying bedrock.
Mining is the extraction of valuable
materials, or deposits, beneath the ground.
Examples of these materials are metals, coal,
and limestone. Surface mining removes
layers of soil or bedrock to reach the buried
deposits.
 Abrasion
Abrasion is a major cause of physical weathering.
Rocks can break apart by abrasion or by rubbing
against each other. Abrasion commonly occurs when
rock fragments are being carried along by agents of
erosion, such as water in streams or rivers. As the
fragments are carried along by the water, they bounce
off and rub against each other. Wind also weathers
rock by abrasion. Anyone who has sat on a beach on a
windy day can attest to the abrasive power of wind-
driven sand.
 Exfoliation
Another common cause of physical weathering
is exfoliation which is the scaling off or peeling
of successive shells from the rock surface.
Exfoliation generally occurs in Coarse-grained
rocks that contain the mineral feldspar.
Whenever the surface of such rocks becomes
wet, moisture penetrates pores and crevices
between the mineral grains and reacts. Note
that exfoliation is a physical process caused by
a chemical change. With successive wettings of
the rock surface, the process is repeated.
 Changes in Temperature
Rocks are exposed to constant temperature
changes. As rocks heat up during the day, they
expand. As they cool off at night, they contract. You
might think that the usual heating and cooling off of
rocks cause them to crack and break up, but studies
have indicated that this is not generally the case.
Only extreme temperature changes, such as those
resulting from forest and brush fires, cause rocks to
crack or flake off at the surface.
 Chemical Weathering
Chemical weathering changes the
chemical composition of rocks. The
minerals that make up the rock undergo
chemical changes, which result in the
weakening and the breaking down of the
rock.

The most common causes of

chemical weathering are water, oxygen
carbon dioxide, and acids.
 Water
Water can dissolve many minerals. As water
dissolves the minerals. rocks may either change in
composition or fall apart. For instance, when the
mineral feldspar combines with water, it changes
to a clay material called kaolinite. Water may also
combine with some gases in the air to form an acid
that can change the composition of the rock that
comes in contact with it.
 Oxygen
Some rocks contain the element iron.
When these rocks are exposed to air, the
iron combines with oxygen to form iron
oxide, or rust. This process is called
oxidation. Rust weakens the rock, causing
it to eventually crumble.
 Carbon Dioxide
Rainwater reacts with substances present in
the atmosphere and form different kinds of
compounds. For example, when rainwater reacts
with carbon dioxide in the air, a weak acid called
carbonic acid is formed.
Carbonic acid, as it drains on the ground,
dissolves some minerals present in the rocks. This
acidic water is more effective than pure water in
dissolving some minerals. Consequently, the rocks
crumble into smaller Fragments or fine particles
called soil.
 Acids
Sulfuric acid is formed when water vapor
combines with sulfur dioxide in the air.
Sulfuric acid is a strong acid that easily
dissolves rocks and their minerals.

The acid produced by mosses and lichens

also cause chemical weathering as it
dissolves rocks and minerals.
 Factors Affecting the Rate of Weathering

How long does it take for a rock to be broken apart

by weathering process?
The answer is complex since many factors
influence the rate at which a rock will weather. The
main factors affecting weathering are climate,
particle size, mineral composition, exposure to
weathering elements, and time.
 Climate
Climate is the average condition of the
atmosphere in a region over a long period of time.
Chemical reaction usually occurs at a faster rate as
temperature increases. Many of these reactions
require the presence of moisture or water. Thus, a
hot moist climate supports increased plant and
animal activities, ranging from burrowing
production of rock- to the pro dissolving acid as
plant matter decomposes. This type of climate is a
favorable condition for rapid chemical weathering.
 Particle Size
The size of rock particles greatly affects
the rate at which chemical weathering
occurs. Under the same conditions, the
smaller the pieces of rock fragments, the
faster they will weather. Given the same
volume of large and small particles of
rocks, the smaller pieces of rock
fragments will undergo weathering faster
than the larger pieces of rocks.
 Mineral Composition
The mineral composition of a rock determines its
physical and chemical properties and thus its
susceptibility to weathering.
This factor greatly affects chemical weathering.
Rocks composed of minerals that react readily with
acids, water, or oxygen will weather more rapidly than
those composed of less reactive minerals. For
example, limestone, which is mostly calcite, is
dissolved by mildly acidic rainwater since calcium
carbonate, of which calcite is made, has high solubility
in water.
 Exposure to Weathering Agents and Time

Exposure refers to the degree to which a rock

comes into contact with weathering agents.
Soil, ice, and vegetation can cover a rock
and. thereby, decrease its contact with
weathering agents. Covered rocks tend to
weather more slowly than those that are
completely exposed at the surface.
 Products of Weathering
Rocks exposed on the surface of Earth are acted
upon by forces that cause them to disintegrate. Solid
rock is broken into fragments by physical or chemical
forces. These fragments range from the tiniest
particles dissolved in water to the largest boulders.
The fragments produced form sediments and soils.
 Sediments Type of Particle
The fragments or particles of rocks Sediment Diameter (cm)
produced by weathering are called Clay <0.0004
sediments. These are classified Silt 00.0004-0.006
according to size. Table 10.1 gives the Sand 0.01-0.2
types of sediments and their
Pebble 00.006-0.2
corresponding particle diameter in
centimeters (cm). Cobble 6.4-25.6
Boulder >25.6
 Soil
Soil is the accumulated loose weathered materials that cover much of the land surface of
Earth. Soil varies in depth, composition, age, color, and texture.
Soil is formed from weathered or broken down rocks over a long period of time, a
process that can take thousands of years or more. The surfaces of rocks are constantly exposed
to heat and pressure like wind and water, causing them to break down gradually.
 Soil
Soil is the accumulated loose weathered materials that cover much of the land surface of
Earth. Soil varies in depth, composition, age, color, and texture.
Soil is formed from weathered or broken down rocks over a long period of time, a
process that can take thousands of years or more. The surfaces of rocks are constantly exposed
to heat and pressure like wind and water, causing them to break down gradually.
 Have you ever wondered how the
quantity of soil is maintained?

You have seen that soil is formed in many

ways. If soil formation is a continuous process,
then why is it that Earth is not getting bigger?
While there are areas on Earth on which soil
forms, there are also areas on which soil is
destroyed. These areas are called subduction
zones.
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