Sedimentary Rocks Flashcards
What is Chemical Weathering?
Rocks decompose when the chemical structure of their minerals breaks down.
Produce ions that are removed in a solution leaving an insoluble residue.
What are examples of Chemical Weathering?
Carbonation and Hydrolysis
What is Carbonation?
CO2 reacts with rainwater in the soil to form carbonic acid making the groundwater more acidic than rainwater.
What is Hydrolysis?
Reaction between water and silicate minerals. Hydrogen ions from water and carbonic acid react with mineral ions.
What is Frost Shattering?
Water enters cracks and joints and freezes and expands. This exerts pressure on the rock until it fails and fractures.
What is Exfoliation?
When sheets of rock split off due to differential expansion and contraction of minerals during heating and cooling.
What is a clast?
A fragment of broken rock produced by erosion.
What is root action?
Causes the weathering of rocks by wedging action of plant roots.
How is weathered material transported?
Gravity
Wind
Rivers
Ice
Sea
What is abrasion?
Wearing away of earth’s surface due to wind, water or ice dragging sediment across surfaces.
What is attrition?
The wearing down of sediment grains due to collisions with other grains in transport.
What is solution?
Transport of ions dissolved in water such as K, Ca, Na
What is saltation?
Transport of material by bouncing
What is suspension?
Transport of material in water or air without touching earths surface.
What is traction?
Transport of material by sliding along the surface.
What happens as mineralogical maturity increases?
Increase in textural maturity, one chemically stable mineral, rounded uniform grains.
