Flor Ramirez

September 23, 2015

APES Blk. 2

Chemical and Mechanical Weathering of Rock

Pre-Lab Discussion:
Mechanical, chemical, and physical processes are the three general processes that can be part of
the breakdown of rock. Mechanical or physical processes refers to break down of rock by environmental
factors without any chemical change included. Chemical processes are the erosion of rocks generated by
chemical reactions.
Glaciers are made up of fallen snow that, over many years, compresses into large, thickened ice
masses. Their movement on the surface causes two types of erosions; plucking and abrasion. Plucking
occurs when a glacier moves over a fractured rock surface and loosens and picks up large pieces of rock.
Abrasion, a mechanical process, happens when two rocks are rubbed against each other causing a
deterioration to the layers of the rocks that come in contact. Glaciers who undergo abrasion may cause
geological formations.
Water erosion wears away the rocks and soils on earths surface by water such as rainwater. This
erosion starts of with sheet erosion, which is the movement of thin sheets of water to eventually develop
into small channels known as rills. Consequently, the water traveling through the rolls will create deeper
cuts in the soil which are known as gullies. A significant amount of sediments are left behind.
Wind erosion is another type of erosion that can be responsible for the movement of rocks and
soil. Wind erosion is the transportation, and deposition of topsoil by the wind. This tends to happen in dry
or bare areas. Wind erosion is dangerous because it deals with the relocation of loose rock and soil
through the air. When ice expansion happens in a rock it creates pressure on rock causing it to crack. This
is seen when roads obtain potholes due to the amount of snow that accumulates inside the road.
Chemical processes also play a big role in the breakdown of rocks and soil. Even if water is not
very reactive, it plays the most important role in this breakdown. Certain compounds in the water will
create the impact.
Not only is there chemical and physical processes, there is also organic process. Organic
processes are affected by the behavior of living organisms.
Purpose:
The purpose of this lab is to allow students to observe the multiple processes that cause rock
deformation. It will make students aware of what it takes for breakdown in rocks to occur.

Materials:

Bean seeds, 10
Calcium Sulfate, Ca SO4, 2 spoonfuls
Granite Chips, 20 g
Halite Chips, 15 g
Hydrochloric acid solution, HCl, 1 M, 15 mL
Ice Cube
Local rock samples, 2
Marble Chips, 25 g
Pyrite pieces, 2
Sand, 6 spoonfuls
Balance, 0.1-g precision
Dish, aluminum
Forceps or tweezers

Magnifying Glass
Maker
Paper towels
Pipets, Beral, graduated
Plastic Cups, small, 3
Sample Container
Sheet of white paper, 8 1/2 x 11 unlined
Spoon
Styrofoam tray
Watch with second hand or stopwatch
Water, tap
Weighing dish

Procedure:
As in Chemical and Mechanical Weathering of Rock by Flinn Scientific, Inc.
Results:
Part 1. Mechanical Weathering
Marble
Chips

Original Mass:
15.38 g
Original
Observation:
Pieces are
whole, looks
white and
powder-like.

Halite
Chips

Original Mass:
15.16 g
Original
Observations:
-shiny, yet clear
-crystal-like
-very small in
size
-sea salt
appearance

Mass After 3
Minutes:
15.17 g

Mass After 6
Minutes:
14.74 g

Mass After 9
Minutes:
14.72 g

Mass After 12
Minutes:
14.41 g

3 Minute
Observation:
Pieces are
beginning to
lose powdery
look, smaller in
size, and
smoother
looking.

6 Minute
Observation:
-decrease in size
-looks
duller/shiny
-losing edges

9 Minute
Observation:
-more dullness
-smaller

12 Minute
Observation`:
-pieces are very
small
-very dull
-metallic spots

3 Minutes:
11.6 g

6 Minutes:
7.56 g

9 Minutes:
5.51 g

12 Minutes:
4.34 g

3 Minute
Observations:
-very brittle
-dull
-smaller
-cleaner
-stick together

6 Minute
Observations:
-clearer
-smaller pieces
-still stuck

9 Minute
Observations:
-more see
through
-some lost

12 Minute
Observations:
-smaller
-some lost
-see through ones
still remain

Granite
Chips:

Original Mass:
15.60 g
Original
Observations:
-brownish/red
color
-small but
varied sizes

3 Minutes:
15.39 g

6 Minutes:
15.39 g

3 Minute
Observations:
-decrease in
size
-cleaner

6 Minute
Observations:
-shine
-

9 Minutes:
15.33 g
9 Minute
Observations
:
-decrease in
size

12 Minutes:
15.31 g
12 Minute
Observations:
-smaller

Part 2:
Geological Changes:

Observations: Fragments of rock have degraded, creating what looks like

sand; they are very small particles. Where the rocks were rubbing, a
lightenment in color can be observed. The rocks are slightly white.

Part 3:
Glacial Changes:

Part 4:

Observations:
There was an indentation to the tray. The sand piled up together, similar
to clumps.

Ice Expansions:

Observations:
Ice expanded, thus, shattering the glass container. It also propped off
the lid. Ice had larger volume than when frozen. Many cracks are
obvious.

Part 5:
Expansion and Contraction Observations:
Effects:
-After the test tube was heated, and then submerged into ice water, a
(teacher demonstration)
burning sound was heard. When the tube was taken out of the ice water,
the bottom part that was heated had been shattered off.

Part 6:
Chemical Weathering
(marble and granite)

20 Minute
Marble:
Still white, more crystal like
in color.

20 Minutes
Granite: A hint of red on rock.

Chemical Weathering

1-Day
Still white, but decreased in
size. The hydrochloric acid
looked clear.

1-Day
Seems as if color is reddish with some
visible black spots. Softened, in pieces.

Part 7:
Oxidation
(Pyrite)

Initial Observations: No changes with the rock, hydrochloric acid created a

sizzling sound when met with the rock.

Oxidation

Observations After 2 - 3 Days: Water is very dark and murky. Rock appears to
be brittle and decaying. It also appears more metallic.

Part 8:
Organic Processes
(beans)

Observations Initial: The calcium sulphate was pasty and the beans, once
put into the container, did not react with the chemical.
Day (September 04, 2015): Paste is flaky, there are cracks and chips on
the top layer of the calcium.
Day (September 08, 2015): Bean skins appear to be shriveling. One bean
is cracked, and the calcium paste is also more dry and cracked.
Day (September 10, 2015) Everything appears to be the same, except that
the beans are looking more dry. This is likely due to the dehydration of the
substances.
Day (September 14, 2015) Beans have lifted and are easy to pick out of
the mixture. The paste is becoming more flaky.
Day (September 16, 2015) The beans skin is very dry, they appear to be
shriveling. The paste is still flaky.
Day (September 18, 2015) No changes from prior observations.

Discussion:

Change in rocks was not seen immediately, but the weathering in rocks was more visible as time
went by and after repeating the process several times. Part 1 was done with in intervals of three minutes.
The mass of the marble chips decreased with the amount of time due to the water erosion that was
breaking down the rocks. If marble chips were shaken for a day or longer they would possibly become
sediments because of the great pressure the shaking would cause. The mass of the halite chips
significantly decreased with the amount of time. In this activity, granite was type most resistant to
mechanical weathering because through the lab it showed no significant change like the other rock. Its
mass did not change a lot like the rest.
When the rocks were rubbed together, they started degrading. It created a sand like powder and
the surface where the rocks rubbed against each other lightened in color. It shows signs of wearing out.. It
may be stimulating what occurs during abrasion. Abrasion is the erosion that occurs when particles scrape
against each other.
The surface of the icecube caused the sand to accumulate itself as a moist pile. The surface of the
ice did not keep any of the sand. The surface of the styrofoam tary became indented. If a glacier moved
across the surface of the land, it would pick up rock along the way and eventually create geological
formations. The glass vial ended up with cracks and the lid popped open due to the pressure the expansion
of the ice caused. An everyday example of ice expansion would be leaving a can of soda in the freezer
that will end up becoming ice and expand to the point where the can explodes. When rock is heated
enough it melts and becomes fluid. It takes a lot of heat for this to happen. For rock to form, magma has
to cool on earths surface or inside the volcano. When magma erupts, the fluid will immediately become a
solid. The fluid inside the volcano will eventually become to, but at a slower rate because it is exposed to
less oxygen.
The marble sample at 20 minutes of observation was still white, but it decreased in size and at 1
day observation it remained white and also decreased in size. The granite sample at the 20 minute
observation gave a hint of red on the rocks. At 1 day of observation, the color of the rock became reddish
with some visible black spots. There was some chemical change present in because the hydrochloric acid
slightly altered the color of granite making it darker. The acid , rock, and time are important variable in
chemical weathering. There are rocks who are more susceptible to weathering. There are rocks who are
more susceptible to weathering and acids that are stronger will weather rocks faster. Both samples are
resistant to chemical weathering, it takes longer for them to weather. That is why they are used to build.
In Part 7, chemical weathering took place in this activity because as soon as the hydrochloric acid
came in contact with the pyrite, it started sizzling. After three days, the acid became dark and murky. The
rock appeared to be brittle and decaying with some metallic hint to it. The hydrochloric acid is what
caused the changes in the pyrite.
The growing beans seeds affected the stimulated rock, which was the calcium sulfate paste, to
crack. This happened because the growing beans were looking for minerals and water. Two everyday
examples that disrupt organic processes would be animals that dig tunnels or decaying organisms who
contain acid may lead to chemical decomposition of rock.

Conclusion:
Rocks can experience break down through three processes; mechanical, chemical, and organic
processes. The students performed several parts throughout the lab which represented mechanical

weathering, geological changes, glacial changes, ice expansion, expansion and contraction effects,
chemical weathering, oxidation, and organic processes. The lab was helpful because students observed for
several days what causes a rock to erode or to weather. Wind and water erosions are two types of erosion
that rocks and soils may undergo. Erosions and weathering causes the rocks to deteriorate as time goes by.
In some situations this may lead to the formation of valleys or canyons. Some changes were seen
immediately, whereas, others showed changes after a couple of days of observation. Changes were seen in
the color, size, and cracks were visible in some parts of the activity. The lab did allow students to observe
how rock can deteriorate and how this happens in everyday life.