THE BREAKDOWN OF ROCKS AT OR NEAR

THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH

PHYSICAL WEATHERING

THE BREAKDOWN
OF ROCK INTO
SMALLER PIECES
WITHOUT
CHEMICAL CHANGE
 ICE WEDGING (FROST ACTION)

WATER HELD IN THE CRACKS

OF ROCKS WEDGES THE ROCK
APART WHEN IT FREEZES

ROOT WEDGING (PLANT ACTION)

TINY ROOTS GROW INTO CRACKS IN
THE ROCK AND THEN AS THE ROOT
GROWS THE ROCK SPLITS
 EXFOLIATION
WHEN LARGE MASSES OF ROCK, MAINLY
IGNEOUS, ARE LIFTED UP TO THE SURFACE THE
RELIEF OF OVERLYING PRESSURE CAUSES THE
ROCK TO EXPAND. UPWARD EXPANSION LEADS
TO CURVED BREAKS WHICH MAY PEEL OFF IN
LAYERS
 THE BREAKDOWN OF ROCK
THROUGH A CHANGE IN MINERAL
OR CHEMICAL COMPOSITION

OXIDATION
THE CHEMICAL REACTION OF OXYGEN
WITH OTHER SUBSTANCES. IRON IS MOST
EASILY ATTACKED RESULTING IN RUST
(IRON OXIDES)
 CARBONIC ACID

WHEN CARBON
DIOXIDE DISSOLVES
INTO WATER. IT
DISSOLVES MANY
COMMON
MINERALS
MINERALS RESISTANCE TO WEATHERING

DIFFERENT MINERALS AND ROCKS

HAVE DIFFERENT PHYSICAL AND
CHEMICAL PROPERTIES WHICH ALLOW
THEM TO WEATHER AT DIFFERENT
RATES
QUARTZ
ALMOST UNCHANGED BY CHEMICAL
WEATHERING. IT IS HARD AND DOES NOT
HAVE CLEAVAGE SO IT ALSO RESISTS
MECHANICAL WEATHERING
FELDSPAR, MICA, CALCITE, AND GYPSUM

AFFECTED BY BOTH TYPES OF WEATHERING AND

WILL BREAK DOWN INTO CLAY WITH CALCITE
AND GYPSUM DISSOLVING AND BEING CARRIED
OFF IN SOLUTION.

SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
SHALE IS THE LEAST RESISTANT TO MECHANICAL
WEATHERING
SANDSTONE IS THE MOST RESISTANT TO
MECHANICAL WEATHERING

THE TYPE OF CEMENT WHICH HOLDS THE

SANDSTONE TOGETHER DETERMINES HOW
RESISTANT THE ROCK IS
CALCITE LOW RESISTANCE
SILICA - HIGH RESISTANCE

ROCKS WHICH CONTAIN THE MINERAL CALCITE, SUCH AS

LIMESTONE or MARBLE, ARE SOMEWHAT RESISTANT TO
MECHANICAL WEATHERING BUT IS THE LEAST
RESISTANT TO CHEMICAL WEATHERING
EXPOSURE
THE CLOSER TO THE SURFACE OF THE
EARTH, THE FASTER IT WILL WEATHER

- RATE AND TYPE OF WEATHERING DEPENDS ON

EXPOSURE OF ROCKS TO AIR, WATER AND THE AC
OF LIVING THINGS
 SURFACE AREA
THE GREATER THE SURFACE AREA
EXPOSED TO WEATHERING THE FASTER
THE RATE OF WEATHERING
**TWO SAMPLES OF THE SAME
MATERIAL HAVING THE SAME MASS
CAN HAVE DIFFERENT SURFACE
AREAS. IF ONE SAMPLE IS A LARGE
PIECE OF MARBLE WITH A MASS OF
50g, AND THE OTHER IS 50g OF MANY
SMALL PIECES OF MARBLE. THE
SMALLER SIZE PIECES WILL HAVE
THE GREATER SURFACE AREA
CHEMICAL WEATHERING IS USUALLY
GREATER IN WARM, MOIST CLIMATES

PHYSICAL WEATHERING IS USUALLY GREATER

IN MOIST AREAS WITH TEMPERATURE
VARIATIONS (COLD AND WARM)
SOIL IS MADE OF LOOSE,
WEATHERED ROCK AND
ORGANIC MATERIAL IN
WHICH PLANTS WITH ROOTS
CAN GROW. THE ROCK
MATERIAL IS COMPOSED OF
SAND, SILT, AND CLAY.
PARENT MATERIAL IS THE MATERIAL FROM WHICH
A SOIL IS FORMED

RESIDUAL SOIL SOIL THAT HAS THE BEDROCK

BENEATH THE SOIL AS A PARENT MATERIAL

TRANSPORTED SOIL SOILS FORMED FROM

DEPOSITS LEFT BY WINDS, RIVERS, AND GLACIERS.
A-HORIZON TOPSOIL
DARKEST COLOR DUE TO ORGANIC MATERIAL

B-HORIZON SUBSOIL
1) CLAY IS WASHED TO THE SUBSOIL
2) MAY CONTAIN SOLUBLE MINERALS, SUCH AS CALCIUM
AND MAGNESIUM CARBONATES
3) COLOR IS USUALLY RED-BROWN FROM IRON OXIDES THAT
FORM ABOVE AND WASH DOWN

C-HORIZON
MADE OF SLIGHTLY WEATHERED PARENT MATERIAL (ROCK
FRAGMENTS)

UNWEATHERED BEDROCK
 MASS MOVEMENTS
MOVEMENTS OF LOOSE EARTH MATERIAL
DOWN A SLOPE.
A) **GRAVITY IS AN AID IN WEATHERING AND
EROSION. STEEP SLOPES WEATHER TO GENTLE
SLOPES.
CREEP - SLOW, IMPERCEPTIBLE DOWN SLOPE
MOVEMENT OF THE SOIL. CAUSES OBJECTS THAT
ARE FIXED IN THE SOIL TO LEAN DOWNHILL.
WATER IN THE SOIL IS WHAT ADDS THE WEIGHT.

MUDFLOW - THE RAPID MOVEMENT OF A WATER

SATURATED MASS OF SOIL.
 SLUMP - OCCURS WHEN A SECTION OF LAND
MOVES DOWNHILL AS A WHOLE BECAUSE
OF A PLANE OF WEAKNESS IN THE
UNDERLYING SOIL.

LANDSLIDE - SUDDEN MOVEMENT OF A MASS

OF BEDROCK OR LOOSE ROCK DOWN THE
SLOPE OF A HILL OR MOUNTAIN. (AVALANCHE
- SNOW, ICE, ROCK AND SOIL)

TALUS - IS A PILE OF ROCK FRAGMENTS AT THE

BASE OF A CLIFF.
EROSION
WIND TRANSPORTS MATERIALS BY CAUSING THEIR
PARTICLES TO MOVE IN DIFFERENT WAYS.

SUSPENSION A METHOD OF TRANSPORT BY

WHICH STRONG WINDS CAUSE SMALL
PARTICLES TO STAY AIRBORNE FOR LONG
DISTANCES.

SALTATION CAUSES A BOUNCING OF MOTION

OF LARGER PARTICLES. SALTATION ACCOUNTS
FOR MOST SAND TRANSPORT BY WIND.
WIND EROSION IS GREATEST IN ARID CLIMATES
(LOW PRECIPITATION) WITH LITTLE VEGETATION.
(DESERTS AND SEA SHORES)

**ABRASION IS A PROCESS OF EROSION FOUND

IN WIND, WATER, AND ICE. IT OCCURS WHEN
PARTICLES SUCH AS SAND RUB UP AGAINST THE
SURFACE OF ROCKS OR OTHER MATERIALS.

VENTIFACTS ARE ROCKS

SHAPED BY WINDBLOWN
SEDIMENTS.