Weathering Flashcards
Give ONE word describing a very small piece of something
particle
Give ONE word describing a small piece broken off something
Fragment
Give ONE word to explain when something is affected by heat
thermal
Explain what FRACTURING means
splitting or cracking something
What do you call an accumulation of loose stones or rocky debris lying on a slope or
at the base of a
hill or
cliff?
scree
What is physical weathering??
It is a PHYSICAL breaking down of rocks…. into smaller particles, without changing the chemical composition of the rock
What are the CAUSES of physical weathering?
1) changing in TEMPERATURE
2) WETTING and DRYING of the rock
3) FREEZING and THAWING of water
4) ground ICE
Name 4 types of Physical Weathering
1) Granular disintegration
2) Pressure release (exfoliation)
3) Peeling off (exfoliation)
4) Freeze - thaw weathering
What is GRANULAR DISINTEGRATION?
Breaking up of rocks into pieces to form sand
Explain PRESSURE RELEASE (EXFOLIATION)
Rocks (such as granite) are formed deep in the earth’s crust. The rocks are UNDER a lot of pressure.
When the pressure is released, the rocks fractures
Explain PEELING OFF (EXFOLIATION)
**Rocks peel off in flat sheets
**The top layers are peeled like an onion
**Peeling is caused by the rocks heating up during the day and cooling off
at night, this way, cracks are formed on the rocks
What is FREEZE-THAW weathering?
It is the breaking up of rocks due to freezing and thawing effect of WATER in the tiny cracks in the rocks:
How does it happen »_space;> liquid in the cracks freezes when temperatures
reduce below freezing point
»_space;> liquid is now in a solid state (ICE), the ice causes
pressure against the rock
»_space;> the rock starts to crack
What kind of weathering do you find when the rocks are broken down into small particles with a different mineral/chemical composition?
CHEMICAL weathering
Name the THREE agents of Chemical Weathering
1) Water
2) Oxygen
3) Carbon Dioxide
Name 3 types of Chemical Weathering
1) Solution
2) Limestone pavement with grites and clints
3) Honeycomb