GEOG 1030 Lecture 4: WEATHERING AND MASS WASTING
10 May 2016
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Document Summary
New crust is formed and gradually breaks down through the long-term process of denudation o. This involves weathering by exposure of rocks to the surface elements. Weathering - all the processes that physically disintegrate or chemically decompose a rock at or near the earth"s surface: also involves mass wasting as gravity pulls broken rock downhill. Mass wasting - the abrupt or incremental downhill movement of soil, regolith, and bedrock under the influence of gravity: also involves erosion by wind and water, which transport and redeposit weathered materials. How rocks disintegrate: weathering produces regolith - a surface layer of weathered rock particles that lies above solid, unaltered rock called bedrock. Air and water invade fractures in the rock, carrying gases, acid solutions, and microorganisms from the soil above. Nearer to the surface, the regolith has been exposed to weathering agents longer and is more weathered.
