WEATHERING, ROSION & DEPOSITION

W.E.D. PROCESS
Weathering is the process that wears down rocks and other substances on the Earths surface. Erosion is the process by which sediment is moved from one place to another. Deposition is the process in which sediment is laid down in new locations. Weathering, erosion, and deposition work together in a cycle that wears down and builds up the Earths surface.

T YPES OF WEATHERING
1. Mechanical weathering breaks the rock down into smaller pieces (physical change) 2. Chemical weathering causes a change in the chemical makeup of the rock (chemical change). The weathered rock is called sediment. The size can range from very small (sand and clay) to larger pieces of rock (gravel and boulders).

EXAMPLES OF MECHANICAL WEATHERING

Abrasion - The wearing away of a substance by solid
particles carried by wind, water, or other forces

EXAMPLES OF MECHANICAL WEATHERING

Exfoliation The breaking of f of curved sheets or slabs
parallel to a rocks surface due to weathering.

EXAMPLES OF MECHANICAL WEATHERING

Frost Action The breaking apart of a rock caused
by the water freezing and expanding within cracks.

EXAMPLES OF MECHANICAL WEATHERING

Root-pry The breaking apart of rocks caused by the
growth of plant roots.

EXAMPLES OF CHEMICAL WEATHERING

Oxidation Process in which the iron in rocks combine
with oxygen in the air to form iron oxide, or rust.

EXAMPLES OF CHEMICAL WEATHERING

Acid Rain Forms when CO 2 (
carbonic acid) or sulfur oxides ( sulfuric acid) dissolve in rain. It then dissolves certain rocks such as feldspars and limestone.

EXAMPLES OF CHEMICAL WEATHERING

Plant Acids Weak acids produced by plants such as mosses
and lichens that are capable of slowly dissolving the minerals in rocks. This type of chemical weathering is important in the formation of soil.

RATE OF WEATHERING
Composition of the Rock Climate (temperature and amount of rainfall) Amount of time the rock is exposed to weathering Amount of rock surface area More surface area = faster weathering

EROSION
Erosion is the process by which weathered rock and soil is moved from one location to another one. Natural erosion can be caused by the following five types or agents: Gravity Wind Running Water Glaciers Ocean Waves

DEPOSITION
Deposition is the process in which sediment is laid down in new locations. This sediment may be deposited near to where it was originally weathered or it may be hundreds or thousands of miles away! The type of deposition and formation will depend on the type of erosion!

EROSION BY GRAVIT Y

EROSION BY GRAVIT Y
Gravity causes mass movement, any one of several processes that move sediment (weathered rock) downhill. The different processes of mass movement include landslides, mudflows, slump and creep . Mass movement can be rapid or slow. Remember, these different types of mass movement are eroding the rock because they are moving it downhill.

EXAMPLES OF MASS MOVEMENT

Mudflows

Landslide

EXAMPLES OF MASS MOVEMENT

Slump (also, look in book p.206 )

Creep

EROSION BY RUNNING WATER

EROSION BY RUNNING WATER

Running water is the major agent of erosion that has shaped Earths surface. Runoff is rain water that moves over the land. Rill gully stream river Streams and rivers can also cause abrasion as the sediments being carried constantly collide with other rocks.

DEPOSITION BY RUNNING WATER

Faster moving water can carry a larger amount of sediment (load). Therefore, fast-moving rivers erode more sediment than small streams. When the water slows down, stream or river cannot carry as much load and sediment is deposited. As sediment is deposited, it creates new formations such as oxbow lakes, alluvial fans, flood plains, and deltas.

FORMATION OF AN OXBOW LAKE

Step 1.

Step 2. Step 3.

FORMATION OF AN ALLUVIAL FAN

When a stream flows out of a steep, narrow mountain valley, it suddenly becomes wider and shallower. The water slows down and sediments are deposited to form an alluvial fan.

FORMATION OF A DELTA
A river ends its journey when it flows into the ocean. The water slows down and sediments are deposited and build up a landform called a delta.