EARTH SCIENCEEARTH SCIENCE

Weathering, Weathering, erosion, soils erosion, soils

and deposition, and deposition, and glaciersand glaciers

WEATHERINGWEATHERINGTHE BREAK DOWN OF THE BREAK DOWN OF EARTH MATERIALSEARTH MATERIALS

FOR EXAMPLE: FOR EXAMPLE: –BREAKING A ROCK BREAKING A ROCK APART WITH TREE APART WITH TREE ROOTSROOTS

TYPES OF TYPES OF WEATHERINGWEATHERING

PHYSICALPHYSICALExfoliationExfoliationPLANT PLANT ACTIONACTION

FROST FROST ACTIONACTION

ABRASIONABRASION

CHEMICALCHEMICALCARBONATIOCARBONATIONN

HYDRATIONHYDRATIONOXIDATIONOXIDATIONACID RAINACID RAIN

Physical WeatheringPhysical Weathering Ice WedgesIce Wedges

water seeps water seeps into cracks in into cracks in rock, freezes rock, freezes and expands, and expands, melts and melts and contracts, contracts, forcing the rock forcing the rock to crumble.to crumble.

CHEMICAL WEATHERINGCHEMICAL WEATHERING Ex. ACID RAINEx. ACID RAIN

– The acid rain The acid rain changes the changes the chemical chemical composition of composition of rocks . The new rocks . The new composition tends composition tends to be weaker and to be weaker and more easily broken more easily broken apartapart

CLIMATE & CLIMATE & WEATHERING RATESWEATHERING RATES COLD/MOIST COLD/MOIST

CLIMATESCLIMATES– PHYSICAL PHYSICAL

WEATHERINWEATHERINGG ex. frost ex. frost actionaction

reason for reason for potholespotholes

CLIMATES AND CLIMATES AND WEATHERING RATESWEATHERING RATES

WARM/MOISTWARM/MOIST– CHEMICAL CHEMICAL

WEATHERINGWEATHERING most chemical most chemical processes processes naturally speed naturally speed up with warmer up with warmer temperatures and temperatures and waterwater

Weathering ratesWeathering rates

Factors effecting weathering ratesExposure to *atmosphere

*water*living things

= faster weathering

surface areamore surface area exposedfaster the weathering rate

Mineral compositionsofter mineral composition

weathers faster

Which will weather the Which will weather the fastest?fastest?

EROSION EROSION (carries weathered material (carries weathered material

away)away)

AGENTS OF EROSIONAGENTS OF EROSION

WindWindRunning WaterRunning WaterGlaciersGlaciersGravity - Gravity - driving forcedriving force

WIND EROSIONWIND EROSIONYouTube - Sand stormYouTube - Sand storm

Sediments Sediments that have that have been eroded been eroded by wind tend by wind tend to appear to appear frosted and frosted and pitted pitted dune formationdune formation

Running Water Running Water ErosionErosion

Sediments Sediments eroded by eroded by running water running water tend to appear tend to appear rounded and rounded and smoothsmooth

running water running water is the dominant is the dominant agent of agent of erosion erosion exampleexample

Glacial ErosionGlacial Erosion Sediments Sediments

eroded by a eroded by a glacier tend to glacier tend to appear appear elongated and elongated and scratched from scratched from the heavy mass the heavy mass of ice dragging of ice dragging sediments away.sediments away.

Gravity : Gravity : landslidelandslideSediments Sediments eroded by eroded by gravity form gravity form unsorted unsorted piles of piles of angular angular rock pieces rock pieces called talus.called talus.

Factors Affecting sediment Factors Affecting sediment transportation in a streamtransportation in a stream

Gradient (slope)Gradient (slope)– steeper slope, faster flow, more erosionsteeper slope, faster flow, more erosion

discharge of a streamdischarge of a stream– greater volume, faster flow, more greater volume, faster flow, more

erosionerosion channel shapechannel shape

– straighter the shape, faster flow, more straighter the shape, faster flow, more erosionerosion

GradientGradientThe steeper The steeper the slope the the slope the faster the faster the stream flowstream flow

The faster The faster the flow, the the flow, the more erosion.more erosion.

Stream DischargeStream Discharge Discharge is the Discharge is the

total amount of total amount of water passing a water passing a certain point.certain point.

The more water The more water passing a passing a certain point, certain point, the more the more erosion occurs.erosion occurs.

Channel Shape - Channel Shape - meandersmeanders

Water travels Water travels fastest on the fastest on the outside of the outside of the bend (more bend (more EROSION)EROSION)

Water travels Water travels slowest on the slowest on the inside of the bend inside of the bend (more (more DEPOSITION)DEPOSITION)

DepositionDeposition The process by which The process by which

transported materials are transported materials are left in a new locationleft in a new location

(dropping off sediment)(dropping off sediment)

Factors causing Factors causing DepositionDeposition

water ve locity slope of a h ill vo lum e of water

A decrease in

GRADED BEDDINGGRADED BEDDING(Vertical Sorting)(Vertical Sorting)

Horizontal SortingHorizontal Sorting(LARGEST to (LARGEST to Smallest)Smallest)

Soil HorizonsSoil Horizonsmature soil has well developed layersmature soil has well developed layers

C-horizon mostly incomplete in NYS d/t C-horizon mostly incomplete in NYS d/t glaciersglaciers

Types of SoilTypes of Soil RESIDUAL- soil that RESIDUAL- soil that

obtains obtains characteristics of characteristics of parent bedrock parent bedrock below itbelow it

TRANSPORTED- soil TRANSPORTED- soil that does not share that does not share characteristics of characteristics of parent bedrock parent bedrock below itbelow it

Landscape RegionsLandscape Regions

Mountain Plateau Plains

High elevation

Moderate elevation

Low elevation

Distorted bedrock

Flat bedrock Flat bedrock

“youthful” age

“mature” age

“old” age

Steep slopes

Steep slopes (on sides)

Gentle slopes

Landscape regions in NYSLandscape regions in NYS

ARID LANDSCAPESARID LANDSCAPES

DRYDRY lack lack

vegetationvegetation poorly poorly

developed soil developed soil layerslayers

steep cliffssteep cliffs

Humid LandscapesHumid Landscapes WET climatesWET climates lots of lots of

vegetationvegetation well well

developed soil developed soil layerslayers

smooth smooth rounded hill rounded hill topstops

Drainage patternsDrainage patterns(how water flows off the (how water flows off the

land)land)

GLACIERSGLACIERS Observe how glaciers erode bedrock Observe how glaciers erode bedrock

surfaces.surfaces.

High altitudesHigh altitudes high latitudeshigh latitudes

– occurs any occurs any place where place where more snow more snow falls during falls during the winter the winter than melts than melts during the during the summersummer

Glacial featuresGlacial featuresU shaped valleysU shaped valleys

Glacial FeaturesGlacial FeaturesGlacial Till (UNSORTED)Glacial Till (UNSORTED)

Glacial featuresGlacial featuresfinger lakesfinger lakes

Glacial FeaturesGlacial Featureskettle lakeskettle lakes

Glacial featuresGlacial features Erratics (boulders left Erratics (boulders left

behind from a glacier)behind from a glacier) moraine (sediments moraine (sediments

carried and deposited carried and deposited by glaciersby glaciers

eskers (winding ridges eskers (winding ridges of glacial material of glacial material deposited in streamsdeposited in streams

Glacial MovementGlacial Movement Striations Striations

(scratches) on (scratches) on bedrock bedrock indicate indicate direction of direction of movementmovement

Drumlins (hills Drumlins (hills shaped like the shaped like the back of a back of a spoon)spoon)

Dynamic EquilibriumDynamic Equilibrium