1. Earth Science
Boundaries and Weathering Rabbi Goldberg
Weathering
Vocabulary
1. weathering – ___________________________________________
2. Mechanical weathering –
___________________________________
______________________________________________________
_
3. Ice wedging – __________________________________________
______________________________________________________
_
4. chemical weathering –
______________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_
5. oxidation - ____________________________________________
______________________________________________________
_
climate –.
___________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_.
Notes
I. Weathering and it’s effects
a. Weathering is the surface _________________________
________________________________________________
b. Rocks are weathered into smaller and smaller pieces of rock
i. Such as
1. _____________
2. ________________
3. _________________
ii. These (above) ______________________________
____________________ are called ________________
iii. Sand sediments are _____________________________
_____________________________________________
c. Over millions of years, weathering has changed the Earth’s
surface.

2. Earth Science
Boundaries and Weathering Rabbi Goldberg
i. Mountains _____________________________
ii. Rocks on top of mountains _____________________
______________________________________________
____________________________________________
iii. Weathering also produces _______________________
iv. There are two different types of weathering
1. _______________
2. _______________
II. Mechanical Weathering
a. This occurs ________________________________________
__________________________________________________
b. This means THAT THE OVERALL CHEMICAL MAKEUP
_________________________________________________
c. There are three main types of Mechanical weathering
i. Plants
ii. Animals
iii. Ice Wedging
d. Plants
i. ______________________________________________
____________________________________________
ii. ______________________________________________
______________________________________________
___________________________________________
iii. ______________________________________________
____________________________________________
e. Animals
i. Digging animals also cause mechanical weathering
ii. ______________________________________________
_ ___________________________________________
iii. ______________________________________________
____________________________________________

3. Earth Science
Boundaries and Weathering Rabbi Goldberg
f. Ice wedging
i. This occurs
______________________________________________
____________________________________________
ii. ______________________________________________
____________________________________________
iii. ______________________________________________
___________________________________________
iv. Then the ice melts allowing more water to ___________
v. Ice wedging is more noticeable ___________ where it is
____________________________________________.
vi. This can also break up _______________________
III. Surface areas
a. Mechanical weathering ______________________________
_______________________________________________
b. These smaller pieces _______________________________
_________________________________________________
c. The more of the rock is exposed the more chemical weathering
can affect it.
IV. Chemical weathering
a. This occurs when chemical reactions dissolve the minerals in
rocks or changes them into different minerals.
b. This changes the chemical composition of the rock
c. This can weaken the rock
d. There are three ways that chemical weathering usually occurs
i. Natural acid
ii. Plant acids
iii. Oxygen
e. Natural Acid
i. The earth is able to form natural acids.

4. Earth Science
Boundaries and Weathering Rabbi Goldberg
ii. These naturally formed acids can weather the rocks
chemically.
iii. How does the earth make this natural acid?
iv. When water reacts with carbon dioxide gas in the air or
soil a weak acid is formed called carbonic acid
v. When this carbonic acid combines reacts with minerals
(like calcite) it causes the mineral to dissolve.
vi. Over thousands of years carbonic acid has weathered so
much Calcite / limestone it has formed caves.
vii. Chemical weathering also occurs when naturally formed
Acids come in contact with other rocks.
viii. Ex: the mineral feldspar can be broken done onto clay
minerals called Kalominite.
ix. This is common in some cells.
x. Clay is an end product of weathering
f. Plant acids
i. Some roots and decaying plants give off acids that also
dissolve minerals of rocks.
ii. When these minerals dissolve the rock is weakened
iii. Eventually the rock will break into smaller pieces
iv. As the rocks weather nutrients become available to the
plants.
g. Oxygen
i. Oxygen causes chemical weathering
ii. This occurs by oxidation this occurs when some materials
are exposed to oxygen and water.
iii. For example when material containing iron are exposed
to water and oxygen turns into rust.
iv. Another example is the is a mineral that contains Iron –
magnetite turns into limonite ( rust like)
h. Affects of climate

5. Earth Science
Boundaries and Weathering Rabbi Goldberg
i. Climate affects the rate of weathering
ii. Climate is the pattern of weather in a specific place over
time.
iii. In cold places, where freezing and thawing are common
mechanical weathering rapidly breaks down rock.
iv. Chemical weathering is more rapid in warm, wet climates
v. This also depends on the type of rock it is being
weathered
1. Rock types can also affect the rate of weathering in
a climate.
2. For example marble weathers a lot faster than
granite.