Module 4

Weathering and Erosion

03 04
Erosion Types of Movement
Weathering
Breakdown of rocks at the Earth;s Surface, by
the action of rainwater, extremes of temperature,
and biological activity (Geologic , 2012)
01
2 Main types of
Weathering
Mechanical Weathering
- also called physical weathering and disaggregation,
causes rocks to crumble
-These smaller pieces are just like the bigger rock;
they're just smaller! The rock has broken without
changing its composition. The smaller pieces have the
same minerals in the same proportions.
1. Frost Wedging
● happens when water freezes and thaws within rocks and breaks them
down with a lot of pressure and time.
1. Frost Wedging
2. Salt Crystal Growth
● Crystal growth often occurs when groundwater moves into
empty pores or spaces of rock by capillary action. As the
water evaporates, salt crystals grow and accumulate,
putting pressure on the rock and causing it to break apart.
2. Salt Crystal Growth
3. Abrasion
● Wearing away of rocks due to continuous collision of loose
particles (due to wind, water and other rocks )
4. Biological Activity
● Breaking or rocks due to plants, animals and humans.
5. Thermal Stress
● Breakdown of rock from expansion and contraction caused
by change in temperature
Chemical Weathering
-process wherein rocks materials are changed into
other substances that have different physical and
chemical compositions. (Water, Strong acids, Oxygen)
1. Dissolution
● Removal of some minerals of rocks because of acidic
solutions found in the environment leaving holes in rocks
which can slowly enlarge and widen after frequent
exposure.
1. Dissolution
2. Oxidation
● Breakdown of rock by reacting with oxygen.
3. Hydrolysis
● Decomposition of rocks as its minerals react with water
especially acidic ones that creates various chemical
reactions
4. Biological Activity
Factors Affecting
02 Rate of
weathering
1. Climate
areas that are cold and dry tend to have
slow rates of chemical weathering
and weathering is mostly physical;
chemical weathering is most active
in areas with high temperature and
rainfall
1. Climate
2. Rock Type
the minerals that constitute rocks
have different susceptibilities to
weathering. The susceptibility
of minerals (from high to low)
roughly follows the inverse of
the order of crystallization of
minerals in the Bowen’s
reaction series.
3. Rock Structure
rate of weathering is affected by
the presence of joints, folds,
faults, bedding planes through
which agents of weathering
enter a rock mass.
4. Topography
physical weathering occurs more
quickly on a steep slope than
on a gentle one. On a gentle
slope, water may stay longer in
contact with the rocks, hence
chemical weathering is
enhanced.
4. Topography
5. Time
length of exposure to agents of
weather determines the degree
of weathering of a rock.
03

Erosion
Erosion
Geological process in which earthen materials
are worn away and transported by natural forces
such as wind or water.
Erosion by water
Liquid water is the major agent of erosion on Earth.
Rain, rivers, floods, lakes, and the ocean carry away
bits of soil and sand and slowly wash away the
sediment.
1. Splash Erosion
results from the bombardment of
the soil surface by rain drops.
Rain drops behave as little
bombs (.6 meters or 2
feet).when falling on exposed
or bare soil, displacing soil
particles and destroying soil
structure.
1. Splash Erosion
2. Sheet Erosion
- describes erosion caused by
runoff.
- occurs as a shallow 'sheet' of
water flowing over the ground
surface, resulting in the
removal of a uniform layer of
soil from the soil surface.
2. Sheet Erosion
3. Rill Erosion
describes erosion that
takes place as runoff
develops into discrete
streams (rills).
3. Rill Erosion
4. Gully Erosion
is the stage in which soil particles
are transported through large
channels. These rills can be up to
0.3m deep. If they become any
deeper than 0.3m they are referred
to as gully erosion.
4. Gully Erosion
5. Coastal Erosion
the wearing away of rocks, earth, or
sand on the beach—can change
the shape of entire coastlines.
5. Coastal Erosion
Erosion by Wind
Wind is a powerful agent of erosion. Aeolian processes
constantly transport dust, sand and ash from one place
to another.
Erosion by Wind
In dry areas, windblown sand can blast
against a rock with tremendous force,
slowly wearing away the soft rock. It
polishes rocks and cliffs until they are
smooth—giving the stone a so-called
“desert varnish.”
Erosion by Wind
Ventifacts
Rocks that have been sculpted by wind
erosion.
Erosion by Ice
Glacial erosion happens when a glacier, or a river of
highly-compact ice, move downhill due to its weight.
It plucks chunks of rocks and causes scraping
between the ice and the rock.
Erosion by Ice
Erosion by Ice
●Glacier erosion is so powerful that it can carve
valleys, deposit large amounts of sediments, and create
spectacular landforms in a relatively short amount of time.
Erosion by Gravity
A downslope movement of rock, regolith/unconsolidated
material, and soil under the influence of gravity is termed
as mass wasting.
Erosion by Gravity
Types of
04
Movement
A. Flow
During flow, loose unconsolidated
particles act as a fluid. Some
slopes move at a prolonged
rate – at a speed of 1
centimeter per year or less.
Other slopes such as saturated
mud can smoothly flow like
water.
A. Flow
1. Creep
is the slow, downhill movement of rock or
soil under the influence of gravity. It
typically moves at a rate of 1
centimeter per year but may move
faster when saturated with water.
1. Creep
2. Debris Flow
is composed of a mixture of clay,
silt, sand, and rock fragments
in which more than half of the
components are more
abundant than sand.
2. Debris Flow
3. Mud Flow
has a consistency of wet concrete
due to its high-water content.
Mudflows occurring in volcanic
areas and consisting of ash are
called lahars.
3. Mud Flow
4. Earth Flow
contains less water and
therefore less fluid than a
mudflow.
4.Earth Flow
5. Solifluction
happens when water-
saturated soil moves
downslope. It occurs in
permafrost regions where
the permanent ice layer
makes the underlying soil
waterlogged.
5.Solifluction
B.Slide
It is the movement of coherent
blocks or a few intact materials
along fractures. It is faster than
flow but may still take time for the
debris to move entirely.
1. Slump
occurs when blocks of
material move downhill
over a gently curved
fracture in rock or regolith.
2. Rockslide
bedrock slides downslope
over a fracture plane. Most
of the time, rocks break
apart creating a turbulent
mass of debris towards the
hillside.
C. Fall
The fastest type of mass
wasting is fall. It is characterized
by rapid, free-falling rocks. In
cases of very steep slopes, falling
rocks may be gravitational force
and air resistance and is very
disastrous.