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Rocks and Weathering: 8 Grade Science Class Ms. Artigas

Weathering breaks rocks down into smaller pieces through mechanical and chemical processes. Mechanical weathering occurs through physical processes like freezing and thawing of water in cracks, release of pressure from overlying rocks, and abrasion. Chemical weathering alters the composition of rocks through reactions with water, oxygen, carbon dioxide and acids. Water plays a key role by dissolving minerals and forming carbonic acid, which breaks down rocks over time. The rates of chemical weathering are highest in hot, humid environments.

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Esmeralda Artigas
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56 views11 pages

Rocks and Weathering: 8 Grade Science Class Ms. Artigas

Weathering breaks rocks down into smaller pieces through mechanical and chemical processes. Mechanical weathering occurs through physical processes like freezing and thawing of water in cracks, release of pressure from overlying rocks, and abrasion. Chemical weathering alters the composition of rocks through reactions with water, oxygen, carbon dioxide and acids. Water plays a key role by dissolving minerals and forming carbonic acid, which breaks down rocks over time. The rates of chemical weathering are highest in hot, humid environments.

Uploaded by

Esmeralda Artigas
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Rocks and Weathering

8th grade Science class


Ms. Artigas
Weathering is the alteration of rocks to more
stable material from their exposure to the
agents of air, water, and organic fluids. No rock
is stable or immune to weathering. Many
pathways and agents are involved in
weathering, but most can be grouped into two
main processes: mechanical and chemical
weathering. Mechanical weathering includes
processes that fragment and disintegrate rocks
into smaller pieces without changing the rock's
mineral composition. Chemical weathering is
the alteration of the rock into new minerals.
Mechanical Weathering
Any process that exerts a stress on a rock that
eventually causes it to break into smaller fragments is
a type of mechanical weathering. The process of water
freezing in rocks is probably one of the most
important forms of mechanical weathering.
Continued cycles of freezing and thawing in rocks
containing water will cause them to fragment into
smaller pieces.
Rocks under pressure from an overburden of rocks
and sediment might form cracks parallel to the surface
when the overburden is removed by erosion, and the
rocks expand from this pressure release. These joints
are called exfoliation cracks.
Chemical Weathering
The process of chemical weathering generally occurs in the
soil where water and minerals are in constant contact.
Agents of weathering are oxygen, air pollution, water,
carbonic acid, and strong acids. They combine with the
minerals in rocks to form clays, iron oxides, and salts, which
are the endpoints of chemical weathering.
Water plays a very important role in chemical weathering in
three different ways. First, it combines with carbon dioxide
in the soil to form a weak acid called carbonic acid.
Microbe respiration generates abundant soil carbon
dioxide, and rainwater (also containing atmospheric carbon
dioxide) percolating through the soil provides the water.
Carbonic acid slowly dissolves away minerals in rock,
especially the carbonate minerals that make up limestone
and marble.
The weak acid decomposes the insoluble rock into
water soluble products that move into the
groundwater. In high concentrations, these dissolved
minerals can cause the water to be considered "hard."
Other agents of chemical weathering are gases and
acids. Oxygen combines with the metals in minerals to
form oxides such as hematite, limonite, and goethite.
Air pollution that contributes to weathering of rock
generally contains weak concentrations of strong acids
such as sulfuric and nitric acid. Strong acids escaping
from steam vents around volcanoes and abandoned
mine sites can also contribute to increased weathering
of nearby rocks.
The rates of chemical weathering depend on many
factors. First, the more water in the system, the faster
the weathering. Second, the higher the temperature,
the faster the weathering. So, the fastest rates of
chemical weathering tend to occur in the hot, humid
tropics.
Freezing and thawing
Release of pressure
Abrasion
Plant Growth
Animal actions

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