Home | Session 4 | Weathering Pg 1, 2, 3, 4

Weathering and Erosional Processes

Presented by Lisa White
San Francisco State University

 

 
  • Rock Cycle Review (click at left to zoom)
  • Sedimentary rock processes
  • The production of sedimentary materials (click at left to zoom)

  • Mechanical weathering, fragmentation of an average igneous rock produces angular materials of varying of sizes

  • Chemical weathering produces clay minerals

    Feldspar + Water ---------> Kaolinite
    KAlSi2O8 + H2O ---------> Al2Si2O5(OH)4

Rates of weathering depend on:

  • Particle size, surface area
  • Climate and rainfall (controls weathering and erosion rates)
  • Carbon dioxide (controls production of carbonic acid and limestone weathering)

Top Next Page

updated March 6, 2002

UCMP Home |  What's new |  About UCMP |  History of Life |  Collections |  Subway

Copyright symbol