GEOL 101 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Silicate Minerals, Migmatite, Oldest Dated Rocks
Document Summary
Mechanical weathering- physical forces that break rock into smaller pieces without changing chemical composition (3 types) Frost wedging- repeated freezing/refreezing that creates cracks in rocks. Mass wasting- transfer of rock or soil down-slope under the influence of gravity. Chemical weathering- chemical transformation of rock into a new compound. Dissolution- the processes of dissolving into a homogeneous solution. Oxidation- the removal of one or more electrons from an atom or ion. Biological weathering- can be mechanical or chemical; mechanical: tree roots; chemical: living organisms produce compounds that dissolve or react with minerals. Quartz weathering- slowest mineral to weather or dissolve (silicate minerals) Regolith: a layer of broken pieces of rock and slightly altered rock. Soil: a layer of altered mineral material, usually mixed with humus. Organic- organic carbon from the remains of plants. Diagenesis- a collective term for physical, chemical, and biological changes that take place before, during, and after sediments are deposited.
