Weathering

Physical weathering breaking larger rocks into

smaller rocks without changing the minerals.
Produces clastic sediment that will eventually make
clastic sedimentary rocks
Chemical weathering chemical reactions that
cause some minerals to break down; new
minerals are created through the process as well
as dissolved ions.
Produces chemical sediment that will eventually make
chemical sedimentary rocks
Physical Weathering:
fracture along zones of weakness
A joint is a fracture where the rocks on either side have not moved. In a
fault the rocks on either side have moved.
Fig. B.5a
Physical Weathering:
frost wedging
Water expands when it
freezes, which can expand
fractures in the rock and can
push blocks in the direction of
expansion.
Most effective in locations
with frequent freeze-thaw
cycles, e.g. early spring and
late fall in New England.
Physical Weathering
Physical Weathering:
differential thermal expansion
Some minerals expand
more than others for any
given temperature change.
In this case, the black
mineral will expand more
than the blue minerals, so
it pushes them apart.
Most effective in
environments where there
are large day-night
temperature differences.
warming
Physical Weathering: exfoliation
When rocks form deep in the
Earth they form under a great
deal of pressure.
As the overlying rock is
removed by erosion, the
amount of pressure they are
subjected to decreases and
they expand vertically. This
forms cracks that are parallel to
the ground surface.
Most effective in places that
are undergoing erosion at the
ground surface.
Depth = 5 km
Vertical expansion
Horizontal cracks
Physical Weathering: exfoliation
Fig. B.4a
Chemical Weathering: Hydrolysis
1. water + carbon dioxide carbonic acid
2. feldspar + carbonic acid + water
clay minerals + dissolved ions
including the bicarbonate ion
3. ions washed to ocean
4. organisms use bicarbonate ion to build
shells (calcium carbonate)
Hydrolysis
Less resistant minerals undergo chemical
hydrolysis to create clay minerals (which are
subsequently eroded)
More resistant minerals do not weather and
persist (some are eroded).
Similar to Fig. B.7b
Oxidation Reaction
1. The iron in mafic
minerals (e.g. pyroxene
or olivine) is Fe
2+
.
2. When these minerals
are exposed to oxygen,
the iron they contain is
converted to Fe
3+
.

3. This oxidized iron is
converted to iron oxide
minerals such as
hematite (Fe
2
O
3
).
Some Examples
of
Iron Oxidation
Iron Oxides
The rocks in this environment are coated with iron oxide minerals and give the
landscape a very red appearance. Note that the iron oxides were formed millions of
years ago in a more humid environment.
Dissolution
1. water + carbon dioxide
carbonic acid
2. calcite + carbonic acid
dissolved ions +
carbon dioxide

The rock is completely
dissolved.
Fig. B.6b
Controls on Chemical Weathering Rate:
1. Rock type
Fig. B.8d
In general felsic minerals are more resistant to weathering than mafic
minerals. Marble is even less resistant than some mafic minerals.
Controls on Chemical Weathering Rate:
2. Surface Area
Fig. B.7a
If there is more surface area, then there are more places for the reactions to
occur and the overall rate of weathering is faster.
Controls on Chemical Weathering Rate:
3. Climate
Chemical reactions are faster at warmer
temperatures
Water is required for the reactions to take
place.

hot/humid > cold/humid > hot/dry > cold/dry
Controls on Chemical Weathering Rate:
4. Presence of a soil
CO
2
concentrations are ~10x higher in the
soil than in the atmosphere. Therefore,
more carbonic acid is formed in the soil.
Also, soils retain water like a sponge so
stay wet long after the rain.
Controls on Chemical Weathering Rate:
5. Time
Weathering rates of fresh rock are slow,
because there are few fractures and low surface
area.
As physical weathering processes create micro
and macro fractures, the rate of weathering
increases because there is more surface area
exposed.
Later, the rate of weathering slows again as all
the easily-weathered minerals have been
removed from the material, leaving on the more
resistant ones.
The Earths Thermostat
Ocean Crust
limestone sediment
CO
2
H
2
O + CO
2
bicarbonate ion
Water and carbon dioxide react to
form carbonic acid which corrodes
rock creating the bicarbonate ion.
These ions are washed into the
ocean where they are transformed
into limestone sediment.
Some (but not all) of this limestone
sediment is subducted. The
subducted limestone will melt, the
carbon from the limestone remains
as CO
2
in the magma, which will
eventually escape back into the
atmosphere.
Limestone
sediment
The Earths Thermostat
Something warms Earth
Chemical weathering will
accelerate.
Faster weathering
removes CO
2
from the
atmosphere faster than
volcanic eruptions* are
putting it back into the
atmosphere.
The amount of CO
2
in the
atmosphere decreases,
so the climate cools back
to its original state.
Something cools Earth
Chemical weathering will
slow.
Slower weathering
removes CO
2
from the
atmosphere more slowly
than volcanic eruptions*
are putting it back into the
atmosphere.
The amount of CO
2
in the
atmosphere increases, so
the climate will warm up.
* The rate of volcanic eruptions does not depend on Earths climate and does
not change much, i.e. it is nearly constant.
End result of Weathering
= Clastic Sediments
and dissolved ions
(which are chemical sediments)