Topic Name: Weathering

Weathering
A process of disintegration and decomposition of rocks and minerals
which are brought about by physical agents and chemical processes,
leading to the formation of Regolith (unconsolidated residues of the
weathering rock on the earth’s surface or above the solid rocks).
(OR)
The process by which the earth’s crust or lithosphere is broken down
by the activities of the atmosphere, with the aid of the hydrosphere
and biosphere.
(OR)
The process of transformation of solid rocks into parent material or
Regolith.

Parent material
It is the regolith or at least it’s upper portion. May be defined as the
unconsolidated and more or less chemically weathered mineral
material from which soil are developed.
Weathering
Two basic processes

Physical /mechanical Chemical

(disintegration) (decomposition)

In addition, another process: Biological and all these

processes are work hand in hand.
Depending up on the agents taking part in weathering
processes, it is classified into three types.
Weathering of Rocks
Different agents of weathering
Physical/Mechanical Chemical Biological
(disintegration) (decomposition) (disint + decomp)
1. Physical condition of rock 1. Hydration 1. Man & animals
2. Change in temperature 2. Hydrolysis 2. Higher plants & their
rootes
3. Action of water 3. Solution 3. Micro organisms
-fragment & transport 4. Carbonation
-action of freezing 5. Oxidation
-alter. Wet and drying 6. Reduction
4. Action of wind
4. Atm. Electric
phenomenon
Physical weathering
The rocks are disintegrated and are broken down to comparatively
smaller pieces, without producing any new substances
1. Physical condition of rocks
The permeability of rocks is the most important single factor. Coarse
textured (porous) sand stone weather more readily than a fine
textured (almost solid) basalt. Unconsolidated volcanic ash weather
quickly as compared to unconsolidated coarse deposits such as
gravels.
2. Action of Temperature
The variations in temperature exert great influence on the disintegration of
rocks.
 During day time, the rocks get heated up by the sun and expand. At night,
the temperature falls and the rocks get cooled and contract.
 This alternate expansion and contraction weakens the surface of the rock
and crumbles it because the rocks do not conduct heat easily.
 The minerals within the rock also vary in their rate of expansion and
contraction
 The cubical expansion of quartz is twice as feldspar
 Dark coloured rocks are subjected to fast changes in temperature as
compared to light coloured rocks
 The differential expansion of minerals in a rock surface generates stress
between the heated surface and cooled un expanded parts resulting in
fragmentation of rocks.
 This process causes the surface layer to peel off from the parent mass and
the rock ultimately disintegrates. This process is called Exfoliation
3. Action of Water
Water acts as a disintegrating, transporting and depositing agent.
i) Fragmentation and transport
Water beats over the surface of the rock when the rain occurs and
starts flowing towards the ocean
 Moving water has the great cutting and carrying force.
 It forms gullies and ravines and carries with the suspended soil
material of variable sizes.
 Transporting power of water varies. It is estimated that the
transporting power of stream varies as the sixth power of its
velocity i.e the greater the speed of water, more is the transporting
power and carrying capacity.
Speed/Sec Carrying capacity
15 cm Fine sand
30 cm Gravel
1.2 m Stones (1kg)
9.0 m Boulders (several tons)
The disintegration is greater near the source of river than its mouth
ii) Action of freezing
Frost is much more effective than heat in producing physical
weathering
 In cold regions, the water in the cracks and crevices freezes into ice
and the volume increases to one tenth
 As the freezing starts from the top there is no possibility of its
upward expansion. Hence, the increase in volume creates
enormous out ward pressure which breaks apart the rocks
iii) Alternate wetting and Drying
Some natural substances increase considerably in volume on
wetting and shrink on drying. (e.g.) smectite, montmorilonite
 During dry summer/ dry weather – these clays shrink considerably
forming deep cracks or wide cracks.
 On subsequent wetting, it swells.
 This alternate swelling and shrinking/ wetting or drying of clay
enriched rocks make them loose and eventually breaks
iv). Action of glaciers
 In cold regions, when snow falls, it accumulates and change into a
ice sheet.
 These big glaciers start moving owing to the change in
temperature and/or gradient.
 On moving, these exert tremendous pressure over the rock on
which they pass and carry the loose materials
 These materials get deposited on reaching the warmer regions,
where its movement stops with the melting of ice
4. Action of wind
 Wind has an erosive and transporting effect. Often when the wind
is laden with fine material viz., fine sand, silt or clay particles, it
has a serious abrasive effect and the sand laden winds itch the
rocks and ultimately breaks down under its force
 The dust storm may transport tons of material from one place to
another. The shifting of soil causes serious wind erosion problem
and may render cultivated land as degraded (e.g) Rajasthan
deserts
5. Atmospheric electrical phenomenon
It is an important factor causing break down during rainy season
and lightning breaks up rocks and or widens cracks
Chemical Weathering
Decomposition of rocks and minerals by various chemical
processes is called chemical weathering. It is the most important
process for soil formation.
Chemical weathering takes place mainly at the surface of
rocks and minerals with disappearance of certain minerals and the
formation of secondary products (new materials). This is called
chemical transformation.
Feldspar + water clay mineral + soluble cations and anions
Chemical weathering becomes more effective as the surface
area of the rock increases.
Since the chemical reactions occur largely on the surface of
the rocks, therefore the smaller the fragments, the greater the
surface area per unit volume available for reaction. The effectiveness
of chemical weathering is closely related to the mineral composition
of rocks. (e.g) quartz responds far slowly to the chemical attack than
olivine or pyroxene.
Chemical Processes of weathering:
1. Hydration
Chemical combination of water molecules with a particular substance or
mineral leading to a change in structure. Soil forming minerals in rocks do not
contain any water and they under go hydration when exposed to humid conditions.
Up on hydration there is swelling and increase in volume of minerals. The minerals
loose their luster and become soft. It is one of the most common processes in
nature and works with secondary minerals, such as aluminium oxide and iron oxide
minerals and gypsum.
Example:
a) 2Fe2O3 + 3HOH 2Fe2O3.3H2O
(Haematite) (red) (Limonite) (yellow)
b) Al2O3 + 3HOH Al 2O3.3H2O
(Bauxite) ([Link] Oxide)
b) CaSO4 + 2H2O CaSO 4.2H2O
(Anhydrite) (Gypsum)
2. Hydrolysis
Most important process in chemical weathering. It is due to the dissociation of H2O
into H+ and OH- ions which chemically combine with minerals and bring about
changes, such as exchange, decomposition of crystalline structure and formation of
new compounds. Water acts as a weak acid on silicate minerals.

KAlSi3O8 HAlSi3O8 + KOH

(Orthoclase) (Acid silt clay)

HAlSi3O8 + 8HOH Al2O3.3H2O + 6H2SiO3

(recombination) (Hyd. [Link]) (Silicic acid)

This reaction is important because of two reasons

 clay, bases and silicic acid - the substances formed in these reactions - are
available to plants
 water often containing CO2 (absorbed from atmosphere), reacts with the
minerals directly to produce insoluble clay minerals, positively charged metal
ions (Ca++, Mg++, Na+, K+) and negatively charged ions (OH-, HCO-,) and some
soluble silica –all these ions are made available for plant growth.
3. Solution
Some substances present in the rocks are directly soluble in water.
The soluble substances are removed by the continuous action of
water and the rock no longer remains solid and form holes, rills or
rough surface and ultimately falls into pieces or decomposes. The
action is considerably increased when the water is acidified by the
dissolution of organic and inorganic acids. (e.g) halites, NaCl

NaCl + H2O Na+, Cl-, H2O (dissolved ions with water)

4. Carbonation: Carbon di oxide when dissolved in water it forms
carbonic acid.

2H2O + CO2 H2CO3

This carbonic acid attacks many rocks and minerals and brings them
into solution. The carbonated water has an etching effect up on
some rocks, especially lime stone. The removal of cement that holds
sand particles together leads to their disintegration.
5. Oxidation
The process of addition and combination of oxygen to
minerals. The absorption is usually from O2 dissolved in soil water
and that present in atmosphere. The oxidation is more active in the
presence of moisture and results in hydrated oxides. (e.g) minerals
containing Fe and Mg.
6. Reduction
The process of removal of oxygen and is the reverse of oxidation and
is equally important in changing soil colour to grey, blue or green as
ferric iron is converted to ferrous iron compounds. Under the
conditions of excess water or water logged condition (less or no
oxygen), reduction takes place.

2Fe2O3 (Haematite) - O2 4FeO (Ferrous oxide) - reduced form

In conclusion, during chemical weathering igneous and

metamorphic rocks can be regarded as involving destruction of
primary minerals and the production of secondary minerals. In
sedimentary rocks, which is made up of primary and secondary
minerals, weathering acts initially to destroy any relatively weak
bonding agents (FeO) and the particles are freed and can be
individually subjected to weathering.
Biological Weathering
Unlike physical and chemical weathering, the
biological or living agents are responsible for both
decomposition and disintegration of rocks and
minerals. The biological life is mainly controlled
largely by the prevailing environment.
1. Man and Animals
 The action of man in disintegration of rocks is well known as he cuts rocks to
build dams, channels and construct roads and buildings. All these activities
result in increasing the surface area of the rocks for attack of chemical agents
and accelerate the process of rock decomposition.
 A large number of animals, birds, insects and worms, by their activities they
make holes in them and thus aid for weathering.
 In tropical and sub tropical regions, ants and termites build galleries and
passages and carry materials from lower to upper surface and excrete acids.
The oxygen and water with many dissolved substances, reach every part of the
rock through the cracks, holes and galleries, and thus brings about speedy
disintegration.
 Rabbits, by burrowing in to the ground, destroy soft rocks. Moles, ants and
bodies of the dead animals, provides substances which react with minerals and
aid in decaying process.
 The earthworms pass the soil through the alimentary canal and thus brings
about physical and chemical changes in soil material.
2. Higher Plants and Roots
The roots of trees and other plants penetrates into the joints
and crevices of the rocks. As they grew, they exert a great disruptive
force and the hard rock may broken apart. (e.g) pipal tree growing
on walls/ rocks.
The grass roots form a sponge like mass, prevents erosion
and conserve moisture and thus allowing moisture and air to enter
in to the rock for further action.
Some roots penetrate deep into the soil and may open some
sort of drainage channel. The roots running in crevices in lime stone
and marble produces acids . These acids have a solvent action on
carbonates.
The dead roots and plant residues decompose and produce
carbon dioxide which is of great importance in weathering.
3. Micro- organisms
In early stages of mineral decomposition and soil formation,
the lower forms of plants and animals like, mosses, bacteria and
fungi and actinomycetes play an important role. They extract
nutrients from the rock and N from air and live with a small quantity
of water. In due course of time, the soil develops under the cluster
of these micro-organisms.
These organisms closely associated with the decay of plant
and animal remains and thus liberate nutrients for the use of next
generation plants and also produces CO2 and organic compounds
which aid in mineral decomposition.
Thank You