Rocks found on the surface of the earth undergo a procedure over time call weathering. Weathering is the breaking down of rock material.
What is a Rock?
A absent is a solid accumulation of mineral materials. Rocks are categorized right into three main groups based on chemical composition and also how they room formed: igneous rocks, metamorphic rocks, and sedimentary rocks.
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Some instances of usual rocks room granite, basalt, limestone, and also sandstone.
What room the two Main varieties of rock Weathering?
There are two main types of weathering: physical and also chemical.
Physical, or mechanical, weathering happens as soon as rock is broken through the force of an additional substance on the rock such together ice, running water, wind, rapid heating/cooling, or tree growth.
Chemical weathering occurs as soon as reactions between rock and also another substance dissolve the rock, bring about parts of that to autumn away.
Here room some instances of physical and chemical weathering that rocks.
Physical Weather Examples
Physical weathering occurs as soon as rock is broken down through mechanical processes such as wind, water, gravity, freeze-thaw cycles, or the development of roots into rock.
Water Weathering
Water movement is a significant force in physics weathering. The persistent crash that waves versus rocks causes physical weathering.
Freeze-thaw Weathering
When water seeps into rocks and freezes, it expands and causes the absent to crack. As soon as water transforms native a fluid state to a frozen state, it expands. Liquid water seeps right into existing crack in the rock, freezes and also then increases those cracks.
This kind of physical weathering is called freeze-thaw.
Wind Weathering
These mushroom-shaped absent pinnacles in Bryce Canyon, known as hoodoos, are developed by wind weathering the sandstone.
Thermal Stress
As rocks warmth up (and expand) and also then cool (and contract) they have the right to weaken over time and break up right into smaller pieces. This temperature related weathering is known as heat stress.
For example, hot days can create rockfalls top top Yosemite’s granite cliffs.
Root Weathering
Roots indigenous plants prosper into rocks, cracked the rocks and causing weathering. Roots generally will increase into existing cracks and cause them come widen.
Chemical Weathering Examples
Chemical weathering have the right to been seen in this photograph of Blue basin located in the john Day national Monument in Oregon.
The green color of the claystone is native by chemistry weathering the a mineral dubbed celadonite.
Chemical and Physical Weathering
Honeycomb weathering is a kind of weathering the is thought to have both physical and also chemical weathering components.
Salt weathering is where broadening salt crystals break pieces of rock that develop an significantly larger hole over time. The pattern that outcomes is recognized as honeycomb weathering.
This rock in Puget Sound, Washington is an instance of honeycomb weathering that sandstone.
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The honeycomb weathering seen in this photograph from Utah.
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