Weathering

Weathering - it is a general term and applied to the combine action of all

processes causing rocks disintegration physically and decomposition chemically.
Physical weathering - In the mechanical disintegration and breaking of the rocks
to form particles of smaller size. In physical weathering, the composition of the
weathered products remains unchanged.
Three types of physical weathering:
Frost action: Freezing of water in the cracks of rocks tends to
disintegrate them because volume of water increases 1-11 times of
its actual volume. It exerts a great pressure on the wall having cracks.
By this process, angular fragments of rocks are broken off from the
main body of the rock, causing physical weathering.
Heating and cooling: Heating and cooling of rock masses occur due
to daily changes in temperature. Heating of rocks causes expansion
and cooling cause contraction of rocks. This repeated heating and
cooling helps to develop cracks in rocks and the rock will be
disintegrated.
Organisms: Plants and insects like earthworms, ants, termites and
snakes play an important role in physical weathering because they
convert rock into soil to get their food. Plants also grow in joints and
cracks of the rocks and push them further apart. Similarly, man also
breaks rocks by making roads, constructing dams and reservoirs by
drawing tunnels and mines etc.
Chemical weathering - In this type of weathering, rocks are broken through
chemical reactions such as HYDROLYSIS, OXIDATION, CARBONATION, etc.
Hydrolysis is the chemical breakdown of a substance when combined
with water. The most common example of hydrolysis is feldspar in
granite rocks changing to clay.
Oxidation is the reaction of rock minerals with oxygen, thus changing
the mineral composition of the rock. When minerals in rock oxidize,
they become less resistant to weathering. Iron, a commonly known
mineral, becomes red or rust colored when oxidized.
Oxidation - the breakdown of rock by oxygen and water, often giving
iron-rich rocks a rusty-coloured weathered surface.

Weathering controls:

Climate dictates the type of weathering processes that operate,

largely by determining the amount of water available and the
temperature at which the processes occur. Chemical reactions are
 faster at higher temperatures, while frost wedging occurs in colder
climates.
Rock Type determines the resistance of the rock to the weathering
processes that operate in that particular environment. Each rock type
is composed of a particular set of minerals, which are joined together
by crystallisation, chemical bonding or cementing. When the forces of
plate tectonics move these rocks from the environment in which they
formed and expose them to the atmosphere they begin to weather.
Rock Structure: highly jointed or faulted rocks present many planes
of weakness along which weathering agents can penetrate into the
rock mass
Topography: the slope angle determines the energy of the
weathering system by controlling the rate at which water passes
through the rock mass. Generally, higher, or tectonically active areas
with steeper slopes have more dynamic weathering systems, whereas
flat plains have slower weathering systems.
Erosion: the dynamism and efficiency of erosion determines how
rapidly any weathered material is removed, how frequently fresh rock
is exposed to weathering, and if deeply weathered profiles are
preserved.
Time: the duration of the period that the same type of weathering
has been operating, uninterrupted by climatic change, earth
movements, and other factors, determines the degree and depth to
which the rocks have been weathered.

Soil horizons- Layer of soil that differs in color and texture from the
layers above or below it.
Soil damage and loss- Can become exhausted.
Contour paving is a process of paving fields along contours of slope.
Conservation plowing disturbs the soil and its plant as cover as little as
possible.