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◊WEATHERING
Rocks of every sort and shape are worn away over time.
TYPES OF WEATHERING
1. Physical weathering:
2. Chemical weathering:
3. Biological weathering:
This happens when rocks are weakened and broken down by animals
and plants.
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Weathering feedbacks: chemical and physical
• Physical weathering and
chemical weathering
generally proceed in parallel
in most environments.
• Physical and chemical
weathering promote one
another:
– Formation of cracks by
physical weathering allows
solutions to enter the rock
and increases reactive
surface area; this promotes
chemical weathering.
– Chemical weathering
replaces strong, intact
interlocking minerals with
weak clays or void space,
making the rock easier to
physically disaggregate, thus
promoting physical
weathering
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◊ FACTORS CONTROLLING RATES OF WEATHERING
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◊CHEMICAL WEATHERING
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This is the action of water, oxygen, CO2, acids etc. on rock.
1. Carbonation:
2. Hydrolysis:
Mineral cations (e.g., Ca+, Fe+, Na+, K+, Al+) are replaced by
hydrogen ions (H+) from acidic water
3. Oxidation:
1. Hydration/dehydration
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(Binding of water molecules):
2. Dissolution
Dissolution - solubilization
3. Oxidation
4. Oxidation-Reduction
(Loss/gain of electrons)
5. Hydrolysis
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e.g. KAlSi3O8 + HOH -> HAlSi3O8 + K+ +OH-
Microcline
6. Dissolution + hydrolysis
e.g.
e.g.
8. Carbonation
Weathering of Minerals:
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Action of Rainwater
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Chapter 7: 3) Chemical weathering
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1. Quartz - slow process and largely ineffective.
2. Feldspar –
Weathers to clay with the cations Na, Ca, and K going into
solution.
Factors which dictate clay formation are (a) climate; (b) time; (c)
parent material.
4. Ferromagnesian minerals –
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The weathering of iron-bearing silicate minerals, such as olivine
and pyroxene, are another class of important weathering reactions.
There the iron becomes oxidized to ferric iron (Fe3+) after which it
combines with oxygen and precipitates as the very insoluble
compound iron oxide or hematite (Fe3O4), which is red in color,
forms iron ores, and is responsible for the red color in many clays.
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◊FURTHER CHEMICAL REACTIONS
A. Dissolution
i) Congruent Dissolution:
+ –
NaCl Na + Cl
C106H263O110N16P+138O2 = 106CO2+16NO3+HPO4+122H2O+18H+
The organic matter is altered (commonly with the aid of microbes such
as bacteria and fungi), yielding CO2 to soil waters plus H- ions that
lower the pH.
What happens to quartz during weathering?
Silicic acid (weak acid) is formed, but silica has low solubility in most
fluids except at high pH (> 9) and high temperature.
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Partial dissolution followed by recrystallization to new mineral.
They lose some cations and silicon and end up as clay minerals e.g.,
More generally,
B. Hydration
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This is the process by which ions are taken into solution...ions "attract"
water molecules:
C. Hydrolysis
D. Oxidation
If water can evaporate (i.e. weathering is near the surface), CaSO4 will
precipitate. Nice gypsum crystals!
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