Sedimentary Rocks

Associate Level Material

Sedimentary Rock Worksheet

Use the following table to describe and distinguish between the effects of weathering and erosion. Each response must be at least 200 words.

Effects of Weathering | Effects of Erosion | What are the Differences? |

One of the effects of weathering is frost wedging. Frost wedging is a process where water freezes in the cracks of a rock widening the crack through the expansion of the water as it freezes. Frost wedding is a type of mechanical weathering. There are four main ways that mechanical weathering takes place. One of the ways is through the freezing of water. The second way is the formation of salt crystals, the third is by plant root penetration, and the fourth is from abrasion. Chemical weathering is mostly caused by slightly acidic water. As rain falls to the Earth it dissolves atmospheric carbon dioxide turning it into a weak solution of carbonic acid. Rainwater can also come into contact with human-generated compounds such as sulfur and nitrogen that have been released into the atmosphere producing a phenomenon called acid rain. Acid rain that has formed from human-generated compounds is much stronger than the natural acid rain that occurs and increases the rate of weathering. There are many factors that influence a rocks chemical and mechanical weathering. Some of the most important factors include the composition of the rock, the rock structure, tectonic setting, vegetation, biological activity, and climate. Chemical weathering is more powerful in warm wet tropical climates compared to the cold, dry arctic climates. | Erosion is the term used to describe the transporting of regolith from one place to another. Erosion requires a natural fluid to move it from one place to another. Water wind and ice are the cause of most of the erosion that takes place on Earth. Erosion by water can start from a rain drop hitting the ground freeing particles of soil, which then move by way of overland flow...