SCIENCE REVIEW

CHAPTER 3

External Processes help Break down rock

Internal Processes help Build up mountains
Weathering Physical & Chemical break down
of rock

Mass Wasting Transfer of rock and soil down

slope by gravity
Erosion Physical removal of material by
mobile agents
Mechanical Weathering Breaks rock into smaller piece, no
change in chemical composition
Mechanical Weathering is also Disintegration
called
Chemical Weathering Chemical transformation of rock,
results in one or more new
compounds, acid plays a frequent
role
Chemical Weathering is also called Decomposition
Liquid water expands by __ when 9%
it freezes
Water exerts Tremendous outward force
Unloading Occurs when large masses of rock
are exposed by erosion
Layers peel off like an onion Unloading
during
Unloading releases pressure on Solid rock
Biological Activity Plants force roots into rock, water
and minerals
1 plants on bare rock
st
Lichens
1st organisms to colonize bare rock Fungus & Algae
Later organisms on bare rock Grass, shrubs, trees, etc.
Talus Loose rock fragments which have
accumulated at the base of a
mountain
Pure water is non-___________ Re-creative
Water with rust ____ Iron
Carbon dioxide dissolved in water Carbonic acid - H2CO3
produces
Carbonic acid is the same acid Carbonated Drinks
that is in
Most abundant product Clay minerals
Quartz is very resistant to what? Weathering
Iron (Fe) reacts with what to form Water
an oxide
Iron (Fe) reacts with water to form An Oxide
what?
Aluminum (Al), Silicon (Si), and Clay minerals
Oxygen (O) react to form
_____ Is essential for good soil Clay
Spheroidal weathering attacks Sharp edges of rocks
_____ first
Spheroidal weather yields a _____ Rounder
piece of rock
Different rocks weather at Different rates
Olivine is the ______ to weathering Least stable
Quartz is the _______ to weathering Most stable
Silicates weather according to the Bowen’s Reaction Series
_______
Warm Climate + Soil = Lots of acid
Optimal mechanical weathering = Cold & Moist climate
Optimal chemical weathering = Warm & Humid climate
More surface area means Faster weathering
Less surface area means Slower weathering
Chemical weathering is ineffective Polar of desert environments
in (Antarctica, Northern Canada,
etc.)
Hoodoos are found in Bryce Canyon
What is the 3rd most common Aluminum
crustal rock?
Aluminum is highly in________ Soluble
______ Forms in tropical climates Bauxite
where there is intense chemical
weathering occurring
For mass wasting to occur, a slope Must become unstable
_____
Erosion moves _______ materials Weathered
Trigger event is the Last event in a series of mass
wasting events
In modest amounts, water Makes the earth’s materials sturdy
____________
3 controls of mass wasting Removal of vegetation, over
steepened slops and earthquakes
as triggers
3 types of motion Fall, Slide and Flow
Movement as a vicious fluid Flow
Freefall of detached particles Fall
Coherent movement of material Slide
down a slope
Avalanches move at speeds Up to 125mph
Most avalanches move Slowly
Slump Movement along a curved slope
Rockslide Detached bedrock moves along
surface and breaks into smaller
piece
Causes of a rockslide Earthquakes, Rain/Snowmelt, Frost
Wedging
Debris Flow Occurs after heavy rain
Lahars are composed of Volcanic Ash
Mt. St. Helens 1980
Nevada del Ruiz 1985; 25,000 deaths
Mt. Pinatubo 1996 – present
Creep Gradual slow movement down
slope
Solifluction Occurs where water can’t escape
saturated surface layers