Fascinating Features of Earth What caused these

Fascinating Features of Earth What caused these? ? ?

What caused each of these to look this way? 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) Aliens from space Radioactive decay Erosion Weathering Both 3 & 4

What is the difference between weathering and erosion? 1) erosion is the breakdown of rocks while weathering moves them from one place to another. 2) weathering is the breakdown of rocks while erosion moves them from one place to another. 3) There is no difference, they mean the same thing.

WEATHERING VS. EROSION • Weathering is the breakdown of a rock into smaller pieces. • Erosion is the transport of the smaller pieces of rock to another location (usually by water, wind or ice)

Which of the following is NOT an important agent of chemical weathering? 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) Water vapor Wind Acids Oxygen

Important agents of chemical weathering: • • Water vapor Acids Oxygen

Which of these rocks is most resistant to weathering? 1) 2) 3) 4) Sandstone Quartzite Shale Marble

Which of the following rocks is resistant to mechanical weathering— but not chemical weathering? 1) 2) 3) 4) Sandstone Quartzite Shale Marble

Susceptible to… Mechanical Chemical Biotite-Schist Marble Shale Marble Biotite-Schist Quartzite Shale

What happens when you mix acid with the mineral calcite? 1) 2) 3) 4) It produces sulfur dioxide It produces nitrogen oxides It produces carbon dioxide Nothing--calcite is resistant to acid.

What happens when you mix acid with the mineral calcite? 3) It produces carbon dioxide AND water and the mineral is chemically broken down into something else.

True or False: • The main type of weathering shown here is chemical weathering.

True or False: • The main type of weathering shown here is chemical weathering. • FALSE—This is mechanical weathering.

The orange color on these rocks indicates… 1) ice wedging 2) oxidation 3) an acid reaction 4) hydrolysis 5) nothing

The orange color on these rocks indicates… 2) oxidation Iron in the rocks combines with oxygen in air to produce iron oxide (rust). What sort of weathering is this?

True or False • Water is most dense when it is in its liquid phase.

Ice has a density of 0. 9167 g/cm³. Water has a density of 1. 000 g/cm³ • What volume will 80 ml of liquid water occupy if it freezes?

Ice has a density of 0. 9167 g/cm³. Water has a density of 1. 000 g/cm³ • What volume will 80 ml of liquid water occupy if it freezes? D = M/V so, 0. 9167 g/cm³ = 80 g /X 80 g / 0. 9167 g/cm³ = 87. 27

The previous 2 questions relate to weathering since… 1) Water is a major component of many rock forming minerals. 2) Cold temperatures causes chemical bonds to break resulting in weathering. 3) Water causes abrasion of rocks. 4) Water can get into cracks of rocks and freeze.

Ice (frost) wedging What do people do at their homes to reduce the impact of this?

Which of the following places will have the fastest weathering rate? 1) 2) 3) 4) The south pole Mt. Everest A Brazilian Rainforest The Sahara Desert

What is the reasoning? ? ? • Warmer temperatures (faster random motion) leads to more frequent chemical interactions. • Higher precipitation/humidity allows more frequent exposure to water, water vapor & acids. • While the South Pole / Mt. Everest are cold (for frost wedging) they don’t have as many freeze/thaw cycles since they are generally cold year-round.

How did this happen? 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) Abrasion Oxidation Hydrolysis Ice wedging Impossible to tell

True or False • This was most likely produced by acidic groundwater running through limestone or marble rock.

Why does Talcott Mt. Stand out? 1) Glaciers only moved through the lower elevations. 2) The rock that makes it up is more resistant to weathering 3) It is the slope of an old volcano. 4) The vegetation on it prevented it from eroding.

Why does Talcott Mt. Stand out? The rock that makes it (basalt) up is more resistant to weathering than shale. Thus the shale weathered at a faster rate.

Why is weathering so important? 1) It is causing many stone buildings to disintegrate/collapse in less than 200 years. 2) We may run out of rocks in the next 500 years since they are all being broken down. 3) The products of weathering become the basis for soil—which our food web depends on.

Why is weathering so important? 3) The products of weathering become the basis for soil—which our food web depends on.

What happened to Cleopatra’s Needle? • Made during ancient Egyptian times (about 1450 BC). • Stored in an enclosed space for thousands of years. • Gifted to the USA in 1879. • Displayed in central park, NYC in 1881. • Hieroglyphics show significant wear in just 100 years WHY?