rocks,weathering,erosionanddeposition.docVIP

IOHS NOTES: Rocks, Weathering, Erosion and Deposition I. Rocks and Weathering ?What is the difference between weathering and erosion? Weathering: The process that breaks down rock and other substances of Earth’s surface. Erosion: Forces that carry away pieces of sediment left by weathering of rock; the transportation of sediment by wind, water, ice or gravity. A. Types of Weathering 1. Mechanical Weathering a. Definition: Where rock is physically broken into smaller pieces of the same composition. Works slowly over very long periods of time and can eventually wear away whole mountains. b. Causes and Descriptions: 1) Freezing and Thawing – water freezes in cracks in rocks; it expands and makes cracks larger. ? Ice wedging – process where wedges of ice in rocks widens and deepens cracks. Ice melts; water seeps deeper into cracks; ice wedges itself deeper - a repeated process - cracks slowly expand until pieces of rock break off. 2) Release of Pressure – the surface of a mass of rock erodes, pressure on the rock is reduced – this causes outside of rock to crack and flake off like the layers of an onion 3) Animal Action - burrowing animals such as moles, gophers, praire dogs, and some insects loosen and break apart rocks in the soil 4) Plant Growth – roots of trees and plants enter cracks of rocks and as they grow, cracks are forced farther apart. Overtime any plant’s roots can pry apart rocks. 5) Abrasion – the grinding away of rock by rock particles carried by water, ice, wind, or gravity like sandpaper on wood 2. Chemical Weathering a. Definition: The process that breaks down rock through chemical changes. ? Rocks are made of one or more minerals that