GEOL 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Thermal Expansion, Hydrolysis, Weathering
Document Summary
Unloading: removing pressure from rocks that then creates cracks that lead to sheets in rock. Fractures & joints: cracks in the rocks along which there is no displacement. Thermal expansion: heat up rock at surface level and then it expands and cracks. Biological activity: trees are sending down roots to get nutrients and water and become stable in the ground. They find weak spots (previously existing rocks) where there are cracks and send their roots through them. Chemical weathering: a set of processes that break down rock components and minerals: types of chemical weathering: Breakdown of a crystal lattice into individual ions, atoms, or molecules and their transport into a solvent. A chemical reaction where electrons are lost from one element. A reaction of any substance with water in which water is split into its constituent ions h+ and oh- Rates (speeds) of weathering: rock composition. Involves susceptibility to chemical weathering, silicate minerals, and environment of formation: climate.
