Weathering

Weathering

1. Weathering is the process where rocks are dissolved, worn away or broken down into smaller and smaller pieces. There are mechanical, chemical and organic weathering processes

   • * Chemical weathering decomposes or decays rocks and minerals.
     • Solution
       • The carbon dioxide in the air dissolves in rainwater and it becomes weakly acidic.This carbonic acid dissolves into limestones as it leaks into cracks which over many years causes the rock to form cave systems
     • Hydrolysis
       • It takes place when acid rains react with rock-forming minerals (felspar) to produce clay and salts which is removed in solution/Carbonation. The quartz is a chemically resistant mineral and is not affected by the common rock-forming minerals. Clay and quartz are the two common minerals in sedimentary rocks.
     • Hydration
       • Chemical combination of water molecules with a particular substance or mineral leading to a change in structure. The minerals that form soil in rocks does not contain any water, and when exposed to humid conditions the get hydrated. When they’re hydrated the volume of the minerals increases and the minerals loose their luster and becomes soft
     • Oxidation
       • The process of the combination of oxygen and minerals. Oxygen is usually absorbed from the soil water and in the atmosphere.
     • Leaching
       • Some rocks when exposed to rain water, two important ones are rocks and limestone. When these rocks dissolve, the materials which make them up become ions in the water and are carried away with it.