Weathering Review Notes

W.E.D. and Spheres Review

Mechanical Weathering

Chemical Weathering

Weathering Factors

Erosion

Deposition

Spheres and Interactions

Mechanical (Physical) Weathering

• Breaks rock into smaller pieces, wears mountains down

• Does not change rock composition

• Key words: Ice (Frost) Wedging, abrasion, plants' roots, burrowing animals, sediment, soil

Chemical Weathering

• Changes the composition

• Chemical reactions in the rock

• Key words: acid rain, pollution, dissolves, limestone, cave, sinkhole, oxidation, rust, oxygen

Weathering Factors

• Rock type

• Temperature increases

• Precipitation increases

• Surface area

Erosion

• The removal and transport of weathered material from one location to another. 

• Agents of erosion include flowing water, wind, glaciers, and gravity. 

Deposition

• The laying down or settling of eroded material, often building new landforms.

• Key words: dropped, settled

Spheres and Interactions

• Geosphere: land-related; mountains, soil

• Hydrosphere: water-related; oceans, rain

• Atmosphere: air-related: gases, weather

• Biosphere: life-related; animals, plants, fungi

• Cryosphere: ice-related; glaciers, icebergs

• Winds carrying seeds: atmosphere/biosphere

• River flowing through a canyon: hydrosphere/geosphere