1.) Describe Ho

How rocks undergo
weathering
1.) DESCRIBE HOW ROCKS UNDERGO
WEATHERINGWeatheringWeathering, disintegration
or alteration of rock in its natural or original position
at or near the Earth’s surface through physical,
chemical, and biological processes induced or
modified by wind, water, and climate.There are three
types of weathering, physical, chemical and
biological.How is erosion different to
weathering?Erosion is the process by which soil and
rock particles are worn away and moved elsewhere
by wind, water or ice. Weathering involves no moving
agent of transport.Physical
ChemicalBiological Physical WeatheringPhysical
weathering is caused by the effects of changing
temperature on rocks, causing the rock to break apart.
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• There are two main types of physical
weathering:Freeze-thawoccurs when water
continually seeps into cracks,freezes and expands,
eventually breaking the rock apart.Exfoliationoccurs
as cracks develop parallel to the land surface
aconsequence of the reduction in pressure during
uplift and erosion.Where does it occur? Physical
weathering happens especially in places places
wherethere is little soil and few plants grow, such as
in mountain regionsand hot deserts.How does it
occur?Either through repeated melting and freezing
of water (mountainsand tundra) or through
expansion and contraction of the surface layerof
rocks that are baked by the sun (hot deserts).
• Freeze-thawWhere does it occur?In
mountainous regions like the Alps or
Snowdonia. How does it occur?Rainwater or
snow-melt collects in cracks in the rocks.At
night the temperatures drops and the water
freezes and expands.The increases in volume
of the ice exerts pressure on the cracks in the
rock, causing them to split further open.During
the day the ice melts and the water seeps
deeper into the cracks.At night the water
freezes again
The
Products of
Weatherin
• The Products of Weathering and Erosion
• The products of weathering and erosion are the unconsolidated materials that we
find around us on slopes, beneath glaciers, in stream valleys, on beaches, and in
deserts. The nature of these materials — their composition, size, degree of sorting,
and degree of rounding — is determined by the type of rock that is being weathered,
the nature of the weathering, the erosion and transportation processes, and the
climate.
• A summary of the weathering products of some of the common minerals present in
rocks is provided in Table 5.1.
• Table 5.1 A list of the typical weathering products of some of the minerals in common
rocks [SE]
• Common Mineral Typical Weathering Products
• Quartz Quartz as sand grains
• Feldspar Clay minerals plus potassium, sodium, and calcium in solution
• Biotite and amphibole Chlorite plus iron and magnesium in solution
• Pyroxene and olivine Serpentine plus iron and magnesium in solution
• Calcite Calcium and carbonate in solution
• Pyrite Iron oxide minerals plus iron in solution and sulphuric acid
• Some examples of the products of weathering are shown in Figure 5.13. They range
widely in size and shape depending on the processes involved. If and when deposits
like these are turned into sedimentary rocks, the textures of those rocks will vary
significantly. Importantly, when we describe sedimentary rocks that formed millions
of years in the past, we can use those properties to make inferences about the
conditions that existed during their formation.
• We’ll talk more about the nature and interpretation of sediments and sedimentary
rocks in Chapter 6, but it’s worth considering here why the sandy sediments shown
in Figure 5.13 are so strongly dominated by the mineral quartz, even though quartz
makes up less than 20% of Earth’s crust. The explanation is that quartz is highly
resistant to the types of weathering that occur at Earth’s surface. It is not affected by
weak acids or the presence of oxygen. This makes it unique among the minerals that
are common in igneous rocks. Quartz is also very hard, and doesn’t have cleavage, so
it is resistant to mechanical erosion.
• As weathering proceeds, the ferromagnesian silicates and feldspar are very likely to
be broken into small pieces and converted into clay minerals and dissolved ions (e.g.,
Ca2+, Na+, K+, Fe2+, Mg2+, and H4SiO4). In other words, quartz, clay minerals, and
dissolved ions are the most common products of weathering. Quartz and some of
the clay minerals tend to form sedimentary deposits on and at the edges of
continents, while the rest of the clay minerals and the dissolved ions tend to be
washed out into the oceans to form sediments on the sea floor.

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How rocks undergo

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