Study Notes - English Literature - Linguistics - Visionary Discourse - Environmental Science

Weathering: 

It is a process in which rocks and minerals break down and dissolve due to the exposure to the environment. This is due to ice, water, acid, plants, and due to the changes in temperature. The process of weathering is classified into three types: Mechanical, Chemical, and Biological. This classification is according to how it occurs and what agents are responsible for the disintegration of the rocks. 

Physical Weathering: 

It is also known as mechanical or disaggregation. The agents responsible for physical weathering are water, ice, plants, animals, and changes in temperatures. For example, when water finds its way through the cracks of the rocks, and when temperatures drop, the water freezes. The ice formed this way acts as a wedge, so it cracks and breaks the rocks and water carries it away. Animals are also responsible for weathering. When certain animals, like rodents, earthworms, or ants, dig holes, they also break rocks during their digging. Changes in the temperatures also play a role in the breaking of rocks. When temperatures rise in the morning, the rocks expand as a result, and when temperatures drop at night, the rocks contract. This process causes the rocks to break. The fifth agent responsible for physical weathering is human activity. When humans mine for minerals, or when we cultivate lands or construct roads, these activities are also responsible for weathering of the rocks.

Biological Weathering: 

This type of weathering is not defined separately, rather it is associated with physical weathering, because of the agent involved in the process. When a seed sprouts, its roots spread as the plant grows, and these roots become strong enough to break or disintegrate the rocks.

Chemical Weathering: 

In chemical weathering acid is responsible for the weathering. When carbon dioxide from the air or soil comes in contact with water it produces carbonic acid, and this process is known as carbonation. This weak acid is strong enough to cause disintegration of the rocks. 

Erosion: 

When water, air, or ice carry the rocks, sand, clay, silt, or pebbles, known as sediments, from one point to another, this process of carrying sediments is called erosion. 

Deposition: 

When the sediments being carried away by water are dropped off, this is known as deposition.