"Weathering is the deterioration of rocks, soils and minerals as well as wood and artificial materials through contact with water, atmospheric gases, and biological organisms."
The processes that shape the Earth's surface through natural erosion and weathering.
Geological Time Scale: The study of weathering and erosion involves an understanding of how rocks have changed over millions of years.
Types of Weathering: There are three main types of weathering: physical, chemical, and biological. Understanding how each type works is important in understanding the overall weathering process.
Erosion: Erosion involves the removal of rocks and soil by water, wind, ice, or gravity. Understanding erosion helps us understand how landscapes are formed.
Landforms: The study of landforms helps us understand how they are created by weathering and erosion processes.
Climate and Weather: Climate and weather play a huge role in the type and intensity of weathering and erosion processes that occur in a particular region.
Soil Types: Soil types also play a role in the type and intensity of weathering and erosion processes that occur in a particular region.
Human Impact: Human activities like mining, construction, and deforestation can have a significant impact on weathering and erosion processes.
Natural Disasters: Natural disasters like earthquakes, volcanoes, and floods can also have a significant impact on weathering and erosion processes.
Hydrology: Hydrology involves the study of the movement, distribution, and quality of water on Earth, which is closely linked to weathering and erosion processes.
Sediments and Sedimentary Rocks: Understanding how sediments are formed and how they become sedimentary rocks is an important aspect of understanding weathering and erosion processes.
Physical Weathering: This type of weathering occurs when rocks are broken down into smaller fragments through physical processes such as freeze-thaw cycles, expansion and contraction due to heat, and abrasion.
Chemical Weathering: In this type of weathering, rocks and minerals are broken down through chemical reactions that alter their composition. Examples include oxidation, hydration, and carbonation.
Biological Weathering: This type of weathering occurs when living organisms such as plants and animals break down rocks through physical and chemical processes. Examples include the roots of trees breaking apart rocks, and microbes that release acids that dissolve minerals in rocks.
Water Erosion: This type of erosion occurs when running water carries sediments away from their original location, and can take many forms such as raindrop erosion, stream erosion, and coastal erosion.
Wind Erosion: Wind can carry small sediment particles and cause them to impact surrounding rocks and minerals, which can result in erosion. Common examples of wind erosion include sand dunes and desert pavement.
Glacier Erosion: This type of erosion occurs when moving glaciers scrape and carry away rocks and soil, leaving behind a smoothed surface.
Gravity Erosion: Gravity can cause landslides, rockfalls, and other types of erosion by pulling rocks and soil downhill, often due to destabilizing factors such as erosion by water or wind.
Thermal Erosion: This type of erosion occurs due to thermal expansion and contraction, such as the expansion of rock due to heat from the sun and contraction due to cooling. Over time, this can cause rocks to crack and break apart.
Chemical Erosion: Chemical processes can also cause erosion, such as the dissolution of rocks and minerals by acidic rainfall or through the action of groundwater.
"...agents such as water, ice, snow, wind, waves and gravity."
"Weathering occurs in situ (on-site, with little or no movement), and so is distinct from erosion, which involves the transport of rocks and minerals..."
"Weathering processes are divided into physical and chemical weathering."
"Physical weathering involves the breakdown of rocks and soils through the mechanical effects of heat, water, ice, or other agents."
"Chemical weathering involves the chemical reaction of water, atmospheric gases, and biologically produced chemicals with rocks and soils."
"Water is the principal agent behind both physical and chemical weathering..."
"...though atmospheric oxygen and carbon dioxide and the activities of biological organisms are also important."
"Chemical weathering by biological action is also known as biological weathering."
"The materials left over after the rock breaks down combine with organic material to create soil."
"Sedimentary rock, formed from the weathering products of older rock, covers 66% of the Earth's continents..."
"Rocks, soils, minerals, wood, and artificial materials"
"through contact with water, atmospheric gases, and biological organisms"
"...the activities of biological organisms are also important."
"Physical weathering involves the breakdown of rocks and soils through the mechanical effects of heat..."
"Physical weathering involves the breakdown of rocks..."
"agents such as water, ice, snow, wind, waves, and gravity."
"Many of Earth's landforms and landscapes are the result of weathering processes combined with erosion and re-deposition."
"Rocks, minerals, and artificial materials"
"...and much of its ocean floor."