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Weathering - Process which acts at the earth's surface to decompose and breakdown
rocks.
Erosion - The movement of weathered material from the site of weathering. Primary
agent is gravity, but gravity acts in concert with running water.
Types of Weathering
1. Mechanical or Physical - the breakdown of rock material into smaller and smaller
pieces with no change in the chemical composition of the weathered material.
2. Chemical - the breakdown of rocks by chemical agents. Obviously the chief
chemical agent is water which carries dissociated carbonic acid.
Mechanical Weathering
1. Expansion and Contraction - the thermal heating and cooling of rocks causing
expansion and contraction.
2. Frost Action - Water freezes at night and expands because the solid occupies
greater volume. Action wedges the rocks apart. Requires adequate supply of
moisture; moisture must be able to enter rock or soil; and temperature must
move back and forth over freezing point.
3. Exfoliation - process in which curved plates of rock are stripped from a larger
rock mass. Example Half Dome. Exact mechanism uncertain but probably due to
unloading.
4. Other types - Cracking of rocks by plant roots and burrowing animals.
Chemical Weathering
Particle size - Smaller the particle size the greater the surface area and hence
the more rapid the weathering
Composition
Climate (See Figure)
Type and amount of vegetation
Chemical Weathering of Rocks
1. Quartz - slow process and largely ineffective. Quartz remains quartz. Grains are
rounded.
2. Feldspar - weathers to clay with the cations Na, Ca, and K going into solution.
Clays that can form include kaolinite (pure aluminum silicate), illite and
montmorillonite. Factors which dictate clay formation are (a) climate; (b) time; (c)
parent material.
3. Muscovite - Same as above
4. Ferromagnesian minerals - weather to clay plus highly insoluble iron oxides,
essentially varieties of limonite (rust).
Rates of Weathering
Studied by S.S. Goldich (Figure) and found to be inverse of Bowen's Reaction Series.
Why? A function of equilibrium, the higher the temperature of formation of a mineral the
more unstable it is at the earth's surface. Hence olivine weathers the most rapidly.
Soils
Soil - Surficial material that forms due to weathering. Includes an organic component.
Many different soil types. Factors effecting their formation are:
1) Climate
2) Relief
3) Bedrock material
4) Time
Classification of soils varies depending on the classifier. Geologists use a very simple
classification based largely on materials added or removed from the soil during its
formation.
Soil Types
Pedalfer - Named for the abundance of Al and Fe in the B horizon. Occur in temperate,
humid climates. Lie generally east of the Mississippi River, correspond with 63 cm/yr
rainfall contour.
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
Sedimentary Rocks - Layered or stratified rocks formed at or near the earth's surface
in response to the processes of weathering, erosion, transportation and deposition.
Rock Cycle
All rocks discussed in this class are a part of the rock cycle (Figure).
Sedimentary Cycle (Figure)
Processes
First two processes result in detrital or clastic rocks. Third produces nondetrital or
chemical sedimentary rocks.
Pebble 2-64 mm
Sandstone - Consists primarily of grains in the sand size range. Dominant mineral in
sandstones is always quartz. Further subdivide sandstones based on other minerals
present. Quartz sandstone is 99% quartz. Arkose contains both quartz and feldspar.
Graywacke is a garbage sandstone with quartz, feldspar, mica and rock fragments.
Often has a significant fine-grained component and is poorly sorted.
Siltstone - Rare sedimentary rock composed mostly of silt sized particles. Rare because
dominant mineral is quartz which does not like to get any smaller than sand size. Many
siltstones thought to form by glacial grinding of sand-sized quartz grains.
Shale - Most common of the sedimentary rocks. Composed primarily of clay minerals.
Often tends to split into flat sheets due to the mica-like cleavage of clay minerals.
Limestone - Formed by the precipitation of calcite from seawater. Most form in marine
environments, but also around hot springs, as a crust in desert soils, and as cave
formation.
Dolostone - Composed of the mineral dolomite. Probably starts life as limestone then is
altered to dolostone by Mg-bearing solutions in arid environments.
Organic Rocks - Rocks formed by the accumulation of organic material. Ex. coquina
and chalk.
C) Other features
1. Fossils - Any direct evidence of past life. Examples are dinosaur bones, shells of
marine organisms, plant impressions, etc.