Weatherin

What is weathering?
Weathering is a set of physical,
chemical and biological processes
that change the physical and
chemical properties of rocks and
soil at or near the earth's surface.
 What is weathering
‘Weathering is the response of materials which were
in equilibrium within the lithosphere to conditions at
or near its contact with the atmosphere, the
hydrosphere, and perhaps still more importantly,
the biosphere.’
Reiche, 1950
‘Weathering is the breakdown and alteration of
minerals near the earth’s surface to products that
are more in equilibrium with the newly imposed
conditions.’
Olllier, 1984
 More about weathering

Definition – the breakdown of rock to

form sediment [very small pieces of
rock]
– Weathering happens to rocks that are
NOT MOVING
– Weathering is part of the Rock Cycle
 Types of weathering

• Mechanical (physical]
• Chemical
• Biological
Mechanical weathering breaks rocks down into
smaller pieces.
Types of mechanical weathering include

frost wedging,
exfoliation and
thermal expansion.
Enchanted rock
is a huge
example of

exfoliation
mechanical
weathering
Chemical weathering breaks rocks down
chemically adding or removing chemical
elements, and changes them into other
materials.
Chemical weathering consists of chemical
reactions, most of which involve water.
Precipitation

Evaporation
In chemical weathering, a rock is
broken down by chemical
reactions that change its mineral
composition and physical and
chemical properties
Chemical weathering happens when
the minerals that make up a rock are
changed, leading to the
disintegration of the rock
Chemical weathering happens quickly in
warm, moist environments because
water is needed for the chemical
reactions. The warm weather speeds up
the reactions.
Not all minerals are prone to chemical weathering. For example,
feldspar and quartz, are common minerals in the rock granite, have
very different levels of resistance to chemical weathering.
Quartz doesn’t weather very easily, but feldspar does. Over a long
time, it chemically changes into clay minerals.
Highly weatherable Olivine
Augite

Increasing stability
Hornblende
Biotite
K-feldspar
Muscovite
Highly resistant Quartz
 Chemical composition water is
ideally controlled by
• Climate and hydrologic
conditions

• Rock - water interaction

• Anthropogenic inputs

• Direct addition of salts

 Rock - Water Interaction
Two types of weathering mechanisms control water
composition :

• Congruent weathering mechanism :

No solid by - product is formed

CaCO3 + H2O + CO2 = Ca2+ + 2HCO3-

• Incongruent weathering mechanism :

Solid by - product is formed

Feldspar + CO2 + H2O = Kaolinite + Cation + SiO2 + HCO3
 Chemical
Processes
Dissolution Hydration
Hydrolysis Direct attack
by acids
Chemical precipitation Base
exchange
Reduction of sulfate
Concentration
Ultrafiltration
Oxidation - reduction reactions
 Dissolution
Dissolution is first step in chemical evolution of
water. It affects both gases and solids. Typical
regions of gas dissolution by groundwater are :
Ø Soil zone
Ø Vadose zone / unsaturated zone
Ø Zones of oil and gas accumulations
The gases commonly interacting with groundwater
include N2, Ar, O2, H2, He, CO2, NH3, CH4 and H2S.
Dissolution of gases may render the water acidic
means chemically aggressive. Degree of dissolution
depends on the solubility of the minerals, the
antecedent concentration of water and the pressure
and temperature of the locality.
Soluble rocks include limestones, dolomites, halites,
gypsum etc.
Silicates are relatively insoluble rocks.
 Hydration
Hydration is the penetration of water
into the crystal lattice of minerals or
attachment of water molecules to the
ions of dissolved salts. It is first step in
weathering of minerals e.g.
anhydrite ------- to --------- gypsum
biotite --------to ---------
vermiculite
 Hydrolysis
Hydrolysis is reaction of any substance with
water. Hydrolysis is the reaction of an ion with
water to form an associated species plus H+ or
OH-.
Hydrolysis of cations produces slightly acidic
solution as per equation
M+ + H2O ⇔ MOH + H+
Anion hydrolysis results in basic solution as
per equation
X- + H2O ⇔ HX + OH-
The process is effective only if :
• Produced ions are removed from solution
• Required ions are added to the solution
At equilibrium cessation of dissolution
 Oxidation - Reduction Reactions
These are chemical reactions in which electrons are
transferred from one atom to another. In oxidation
there is loss of free electrons by the substance being
oxidized and in reduction there is gain of electrons.

Oxidation as a process of modifying water quality is

important in vadose zone due to supply of O2 from air
and from CO2. Oxidation processes include oxidation of
sulphides, producing Fe2O3, H2SO4 and CO2 with acids
attacking carbonates, magnetite, producing limonite;
and organic matter such as lignite, coal and bitumen
producing CO2.

Reduction is important in organic deposits

 Chemical Precipitation

Precipitation of dissolved mineral matter

occurs due to reasons :
Reaction with ions from the solid
framework to form insoluble precipitates
e.g. formation of CaF2 due to reaction of F
in water with Ca from country rock.
Changes in temperature and pressure
affecting solubility of ions as in
precipitation of tufa around spring orifice
on CO2 release.
Oxidation of dissolved matter exposed to
air resulting in components of decreased
solubility such as precipitation of ferric
 Base Exchange
Ion exchange is the process in which ions
and molecules adsorbed on surfaces of
solid substances by physical and chemical
forces (van der waals attraction and
chemisorption respectively) are exchanges
for ions in the water.
Substances capable of ion exchange are
• clay minerals,
• zeolites,
• ferric oxide and
• organic matter
because they form colloids of large surface areas. E.g.
replacement of Ca by Na or Mg in bentonite resulting into
natural softening of water by enrichment in Na and
 Reduction of sulfate

It is due to bacteria and contact with

organic matter (coal, lignite,
petroleum) and results in the removal
of sulfates from the transporting
groundwater. One example of reaction
of sulfate water in contact with
methane :

CaSO4 + CH4 <===> CaS + CO2 + 2H2O

CaS + 2CO2 + 2H2O <======> H2S +
Ca(HCO3)2
 Concentration

Concentration of TDS content in groundwater

may be affected by :
• Evaporation of water
• Solution of mineral matter
• Chemical reactions
Concentration by evaporation is operative in the
soil moisture zone and between rainfall events.
The process can lead to soil / water salinisation
and formation of continental salt deposits.

Concentration by solution is on account of

soluble minerals in the subsurface..
 Summary
Structural breakdown of silicate minerals in the
basalt (Equations 2 to 4) is accompanied by :
• release of Ca + Mg predominantly from
weathering of olivine + augite with

• lesser contribution of Na + Ca from the

plagioclase feldspar,

• which is subsequently affected by post

dissolution geochemical changes such as cation
exchange by zeolites and precipitation of CaCO3 .
 How are erosion & weathering
different?
Weathering involves two processes
[mechanical, chemical] that often
work together to break down rocks.
Both processes occur in place. No
movement is involved in weathering.
 As soon as a rock particle (loosened by one
of the two weathering processes) moves, we
call it erosion or mass wasting.
Mass wasting is simply movement down slope
due to gravity.
Rock falls, slumps, and debris flows are all
examples of mass wasting. We call it erosion
if the rock particle is moved by some flowing
agent such as air, water or ice.
 In a nutshell: if a particle is
loosened, chemically or
mechanically, but stays
put, we call it weathering.
Once the particle starts moving, we
call it erosion.
Painted Desert National Monument : Wind erosion
Biological weathering is the breakdown of
rock caused by the action of living
organisms, including plants, burrowing
animals, and lichens.

A lichen is a combination of fungus and algae,

living together in a symbiotic relationship.
Lichens can live on bare rock, and they break
down rocks by secreting acids and other
chemicals.
Biological weathering involves processes that can be either
chemical or physical in nature.

Biological weathering can be considered special types of

mechanical or chemical weathering.
Biological weathering – What is it?
 Some biological weathering
processes are:

• 1. Rocks can break because of animal

burrowing.
• 2. Tree roots grow into cracks and widen
them, which helps physical weathering.
• 3. Bacteria, lichens and other organisms
secrete acidic solutions, which helps
chemical weathering.
Lichens on rocks cause biological
Plants growing in rocks break the
rocks apart.
 What is erosion?
Erosion is defined as the removal and
movement of earth materials by
natural agents.
Some of these agents include glaciers,
wind, water, earthquakes, volcanoes,
tornadoes, hurricanes, mud flows, and
avalanches.
What are the different types of
erosion?
Water is the most important
erosional agent and erodes
most often as running water in
streams or rivers.
Water in all its forms is erosional. Raindrops
create splash erosion that moves tiny particles
of soil. Water collecting on the surface of the soil
collects as it moves towards tiny streams and
creates sheet erosion.
Erosion by wind is known as aeolian
erosion (named after Aeolus, the
Greek god of winds) and usually
occurs in deserts.
Aeolian erosion of sand in the desert
is partially responsible for the
formation of sand dunes.
The erosive power of moving ice is
actually a greater than the power of
water.
However since water is much more
common, it is responsible for a
greater amount of erosion on the
earth's surface.
Glaciers cause erosion two ways - they
pluck and abrade. Plucking takes place
by water entering cracks under the
glacier, freezing, and breaking off
pieces of rock that are then moved by
the glacier. Abrasion cuts into the rock
under the glacier, scooping rock up like
a bulldozer and smoothing and
polishing the rock surface.
Athabasca Glacier - Jasper,
Canada
Waves in oceans and other large bodies
of water cause coastal erosion.
The power of ocean waves is awesome;
large storm waves can produce 2000
pounds of pressure per square foot.
The pure energy of waves along with
the chemical content of the water is
what erodes the rock of the coastline.
Wave action in Calvert County
Maryland