Weathering Facts Flashcards

Questions and Answers

How does frost wedging happen?

Water goes into cracks, freezes, and expands, making new cracks.

Name 3 different types of abrasion.

Wind carrying sand wears away rocks, rivers carrying sediments, ice moves over surfaces dragging rocks.

How does granite form layers like an onion?

Rocks are uplifted, pressure reduces, and granite expands, forming flakes.

What is mostly affected by dissolving and what happens to that rock?

Limestone - pavements, underground rivers, caves, sinkholes, oddly shaped mountains. Signup and view all the answers

How does clay formation affect a rock?

Minerals are exposed to water and turn to clay, then expand when soaked, causing rock to crumble. Signup and view all the answers

What part of a rock undergoes rusting?

Iron. Signup and view all the answers

What type of weathering is pressure release?

Exfoliation. Signup and view all the answers

What type of weathering is clay formation?

Hydrolysis. Signup and view all the answers

What type of weathering is dissolution?

Carbonation. Signup and view all the answers

What type of weathering is rusting?

Oxidation. Signup and view all the answers

What is salt weathering?

Weathering that happens when crystals grow. Signup and view all the answers

What is heat expansion?

Weathering common in desert climates. Signup and view all the answers

What is root weathering?

Weathering caused by growth of trees. Signup and view all the answers

What is lichen growth?

Weathering from chemicals produced by colonies of algae and fungi. Signup and view all the answers

What rocks weather into round shapes?

Sandstone Signup and view all the answers

What rock weathers into caves and bumpy hills?

Limestone Signup and view all the answers

What rock weathers most quickly?

Shale. Signup and view all the answers

What rock weathers most slowly?

Granite. Signup and view all the answers

What weathering effects granite?

Frost wedging, clay formation, pressure release. Signup and view all the answers

What weathering effects sandstone?

Frost wedging, clay formation (sometimes). Signup and view all the answers

Which weathering effects limestone?

Dissolving Signup and view all the answers

What weathering effects shale?

Salt weathering Signup and view all the answers

What climate helps clay formation?

Hot and wet. Signup and view all the answers

What climate helps frost wedging?

Cool and wet. Signup and view all the answers

What climate helps dissolving?

Cool and wet. Signup and view all the answers

Hot and wet means more weathering.

True Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Weathering Processes

Frost Wedging: Occurs when water infiltrates rock cracks, freezes, expands, and creates new fractures.
Types of Abrasion:
- Wind carrying sand erodes rock surfaces.
- Rivers transport sediments that wear down rocks.
- Ice moving on surfaces drags rocks, grinding down underlying materials.

Rock Transformation

Granite Layer Formation: Uplifted rocks experience pressure reduction, enabling granite to expand and develop flakes.
Limestone Dissolution: This sedimentary rock is predominantly shaped through dissolution, leading to features like pavements, caves, and sinkholes.

Chemical Weathering

Clay Formation: Water exposure alters minerals into clay, which swells when soaked, causing rock disintegration.
Rusting Process: Iron present in rocks undergoes oxidation, contributing to weathering.

Types of Weathering

Mechanical Weathering: Involves frost wedging, abrasion, pressure release, salt weathering, heat expansion, and root wedging.
Chemical Weathering: Includes processes like dissolving, clay formation, rusting, and weathering from lichen growth.

Rock Characteristics and Weathering Resistance

Most Affected Rocks:
- Sandstone and granite weather into rounded shapes.
- Limestone and shale are susceptible to forming caves and uneven hills.
Weathering Rates:
- Shale weathers the fastest, while granite shows the slowest weathering rates.

Weathering Influences

Major Weathering Influences for Granite: Affected by frost wedging, clay formation, and pressure release.
Conditions Favoring Weathering:
- Hot and wet climates promote increased weathering activity.
- Frost wedging and dissolution are most prevalent in cool and wet conditions.

Additional Weathering Types

Salt Weathering: Resulting from crystal growth that can deteriorate materials.
Heat Expansion: A weathering process commonly found in desert climates.
Root Weathering: Caused by the growth and displacement of tree roots.
Lichen Growth: Involves chemical weathering driven by algal and fungal colonies.

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Description

Explore key concepts related to weathering through these informative flashcards. Learn about processes such as frost wedging, types of abrasion, and the formation of granite layers. Perfect for students of geology and environmental science.