Weathering, Soils, and Erosion Flashcards
What are the two major processes sedimentary rocks are formed by?
Weathering and erosion
What is weathering?
Break up/dissolution of rocks into pieces
What is erosion?
Transportation of sediment to sight of deposition
What are two major components of soils?
Rocks and sediments
What are the two types of processes with weathering?
Physical and chemical
What are examples of physical weathering?
Joint development, wedging, ventifaction, and fire
What are joint developments?
Planar cracks in rocks where rocks have the space to split apart
How do joint developments form?
From both application of stresses and removal of stresses (exfoliation)
What is wedging?
Materials such as ice, roots, and salt that infiltrate joints and cracks
What is ventifaction?
Wind-blown sediment that effectively sand-blast rocks in arid environments
What is fire?
Rapid thermal expansion that creates cracks
What is chemical weathering?
The result of chemical reactions that dissolve rocks and minerals at Earth’s surface
