Transcript Weathering The process of breaking down of rocks

Weathering
The process of breaking down of rocks into
smaller and smaller pieces of rock. These
small pieces are known as sediment.
Sediment breaks down further and becomes
soil.
180px-GeologicalExfoliationOfGraniteRock
YehliuTaiwan-HoneycombWeathering
Types of Mechanical Weathering
Ice Wedging- Water in the cracks of rocks
freeze
Abrasion- Particles of sand are carried by the
wind and water
Plant Action – roots from plants grow in the
cracks of rocks
Release pressure – when pressure is removed
from rocks
Erosion
Erosion takes rocks and other particles from
one location and puts them in another.
Weathering is breaking up rocks erosion is
carrying them away.
The Agents of Erosion
Wind
Water
Glaciers
Gravity / Mass Movement
Wind Erosion
Wind can carry sand, silt, and clay from one
place and deposit it in another.
This type of erosion is most frequent in dry
areas with little or no vegetation.
Wind Erosion
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/15/Mesquite_Sand_Dunes.JPG
Gravity/Mass Movement Erosion
Gravity is the force behind Water
Gravity alone can cause Erosion
Gravity/Mass Movement Erosion
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erosion#Gravity_erosion
Types of Gravity/Mass
Movement Erosion
Slump
Creep
Rockfalls
Rockslides
Mudflows
Landslides
Slump
A slump occurs when a mass of land slips and moves down a
slope.
A slump occurs when the slope becomes too steep and the
material under it can not support the ground above it.
http://geology.about.com/library/bl/images/blslump.htm
http://geology.about.com/library/bl/images/blslump.htm
Creep
Sediment slowly moves down hill.
Leaning trees and fence post are clues that
creeping is occurring
Deposition
Process by which sediments, soil and rocks
are added to a landform or land mass (the
end of erosion).
http://education.usgs.gov/lessons/schoolyard/RockSedimentary.html
What is a watershed?
It is the area of land and waterways that drain to a
water body.
Water Pollution
There are two types of water pollution, point source and non-point
source.
•Point source pollution is pollution that is directly put in to the water.
•Non – point source is pollution that happens somewhere else and
then runs into the water.