list the factors that control the rate of weathering?it is a geography question
Answers
i) Climate - The amount of water in the air and the temperature of an area are both part of an area's climate.Moisture speeds up chemical weathering.Weathering occurs fastest in hot, wet climates.It occurs very slowly in hot and dry climates.Without temperature changes, ice wedging cannot occur.In very cold and dry areas, weathering is little
ii)Surface Area - Most weathering occurs on exposed surfaces of rocks and minerals.The more surface area a rock has, the more quickly it will weather.When a block is cut into smaller pieces, it has more surface area.So therefore, smaller peices of rock will weather faster than a large block of rock
iii)Rock Composition - Some minerals resist weathering. Quartz is a material that weathers slowly.Rocks made up of minerals such as feldspar, calcite and iron weather more quickly.
iv)Pollution - Pollution speeds up weathering. Factories and cars release carbon dioxide and other gases into the air.These gases dissolve in the rainwater, causing acid rain to form.Acid rains contain nitric and sulfuric acid, causing rocks and minerals to dissolve faster.
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Answer:
Factors that affect the rate of weathering
1. CLIMATE: This is the most important factor affecting weathering of rocks. The amount of water in the air and the temperature of an area are both part of an area’s climate. The extent of weathering is dependent on the average atmospheric condition prevailing in a region over a long period of time. There are two factors that play in weathering, viz. Temperature and Precipitation. Warm climates affect by chemical weathering while cold climates affect by physical weathering (particularly by frost action). In either case the weathering is more pronounced with more moisture content. Moisture speeds up chemical weathering. Weathering occurs fastest in hot, wet climates. It occurs very slowly in hot and dry climates. Without temperature changes, ice wedging cannot occur. In very cold, dry areas, there is little weathering.
2. SURFACE AREA: Most weathering occurs on exposed surfaces of rocks and minerals. The more sud se pieces, it has more surface area. So, therefore, the smaller pieces of a rock will weather faster than a large block of rock
3. ROCK COMPOSITION: Another factor that affects the rate of weathering is the composition of rock. Rocks seem like a pretty basic structure, but in reality, we see that most rocks are composed of a variety of minerals. Minerals are solid substances found within rocks that have their own distinct chemical composition. Minerals that are most reactive when mixed with water, oxygen or other elements will weather more rapidly.
For example, some rocks contain the mineral iron. Iron reacts with oxygen to form iron oxide, which you know as rust. If you have ever had a rusty car, you know that rust is not very strong. In fact, with very little pressure, you could poke your finger through a patch of rust. We see the same thing happens in rocks. The presence of iron in rocks causes them to weather more quickly and break apart more easily.Some minerals are softer than others, and therefore rocks that contain these minerals will weather more rapidly. For example, the mineral calcite, which is commonly found in limestone, is soft and particularly vulnerable to chemical weathering. When exposed to carbonic acid, which can form when carbon dioxide mixes with rainwater, calcite dissolves. This type of chemical weathering is often seen with cave formation. On the other hand, the mineral quartz is very hard and is slow to weather.
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