1. Sediment  Weathering  Erosion  Transportation  Deposition

2. Physical Weathering  Breakage of rocks into smaller bits  Freeze-thaw  Smaller rock bits have more surface area for further breakage  Positive feedback loop

3. Chemical Weathering  Reactions between minerals and water in presence of oxygen  Three types of reactions  Oxidation  Hydration  hydrolysis  Many minerals are not at equilibrium at Earth’s surface

4. Chemical Weathering  Materials want to attain chemical equilibrium at Earth’s surface  Reactions increase at higher temperatures  Efficient reaction requires assembly of reactants and removal of products  Smaller grains react more rapidly  Positive feedback loop

5. Soil Structure zUppermost layers -> Living and decomposed organic material zLower layers -> Weathered (altered) rock debris zRegolith

6. Weathering -> Lithologic effects  Differential Weathering  Carbonate landscapes  Carbonate rocks dissolve in acid rain  Caves, sinkholes and karst terrain

7. Weathering and Plate Tectonics  Passive margins  Dominated by sedimentation  Mature sediments  Active Margins  Rapid uplift  Coarser sediments

8. Weathering and climate zArid - slow weathering zArctic - ineffective chemical weathering zTemperate - complex soil profiles zTropical - extensive weathering

9. Erosional Agents  Rain  Wind  Rivers  Glaciers  Ocean waves  Gravity