KS3 Chemistry

8G Rocks and
Weathering

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 Contents

8G Rocks and Weathering

Physical weathering

Biological weathering

Chemical weathering

After weathering

Summary activities

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 Rocks and weathering
Why are rocks all different shapes and sizes?

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 Rocks and weathering
Rocks are different shapes
and sizes because they are
changed by the conditions
in their environment.
The breakdown of rocks into
smaller fragments is called
weathering.

There are three types of weathering:

 physical weathering
 chemical weathering
 biological weathering
What factors cause these different types of weathering?

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 How can freezing cause damage?
What will happen to a glass bottle containing a liquid
if it is left in a freezer for too long?

It shatters! The liquid inside

the bottle expands
as it freezes.

The ice formed

creates huge forces
on the glass which
then cause the
bottle to break!

How does this explain why water pipes often burst in winter?

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 Freeze-thaw weathering

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 How does freeze-thaw weathering happen?

1. Water finds its way

into small cracks in
the rock.
What will happen to
the water if the
temperature drops
to 0 C or below?

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 How does freeze-thaw weathering happen?

2. At night-time, when
the temperature
drops to 0 C or below,
the water in the crack
freezes forming ice.
The water expands
as it freezes creating
huge forces on the
surrounding areas of
the rock.
These forces make
the crack in the rock
get bigger.

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 How does freeze-thaw weathering happen?

3. During the day, when

the temperature
warms up again, the
frozen water thaws.
At night-time this water
freezes again.
This cycle of freezing
and thawing is repeated
over and over again.
The huge forces created
cause more cracks to
appear in the rock.

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 How does freeze-thaw weathering happen?

4. Finally a fragment
of the rock breaks
away completely.
This process is
called freeze-thaw
weathering.
Freeze-thaw
weathering is a
type of physical
weathering.

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 Exfoliation or onion-skin weathering

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 How does onion-skin weathering happen?
Onion-skin weathering is a type of physical weathering.

1. During the day 2. During the night 3. As the rock keeps

the sun heats the rock cools expanding and
up the surface down and contracting,
of the rock contracts. pieces of surface
causing the rock begin to
rock to expand. flake and fall off.

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 Contents

8G Rocks and Weathering

Physical weathering

Biological weathering

Chemical weathering

After weathering

Summary activities

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 What is biological weathering?

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 Examples of biological weathering
How has biological weathering caused these cracks to form?

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 Contents

8G Rocks and Weathering

Physical weathering

Biological weathering

Chemical weathering

After weathering

Summary activities

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 What is chemical weathering?

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 Slow and rapid chemical weathering

Slow chemical Rapid chemical

weathering weathering

Rainwater is naturally acidic The burning of fossil fuels

because carbon dioxide in produces oxides of sulphur
the air reacts with rainwater and nitrogen which make
to form carbonic acid. rainwater more acidic.
This type of acid rain is This type of acid rain reacts
weakly acidic and reacts quickly with minerals and
slowly with minerals in rock. weather rock more rapidly.

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 Examples of chemical weathering
How has chemical weathering affected these rocks?

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 Contents

8G Rocks and Weathering

Physical weathering

Biological weathering

Chemical weathering

After weathering

Summary activities

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 What happens to weathered rock?

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 What is transportation?
Transportation is the movement of rock fragments
from one place to another. The rock fragments can be
transported in different ways:
by strong winds

by rivers

by glaciers

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 What is deposition?
Deposition occurs when pieces of weathered rock sink
to the bottom of the river bed or sea forming sediment.
Dead creatures can get trapped in sediment and form fossils.

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 How are sedimentary rocks formed?

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 Examples of sedimentary rocks
How can you tell that these are sedimentary rocks?

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 From weathering to sedimentation

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 Contents

8G Rocks and Weathering

Physical weathering

Biological weathering

Chemical weathering

After weathering

Summary activities

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 Glossary
deposition – The settling of rock fragments after
transportation.
erosion – The process of weathering and transportation.
exfoliation – Weathering of rocks caused by repeated
heating and cooling, also called onion-skin weathering.
freeze-thaw – Weathering of rocks caused by the
repeated freezing and thawing of water in cracks in rocks.
grain – A small piece of a mineral which makes up a rock.
mineral – A solid substance, usually a compound, which
is found in rocks.
rock – A mixture of minerals.
transportation – Movement of rock fragments from one
place to another.
weathering – The breakdown of rocks into smaller
pieces by physical, chemical and biological processes.
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 Anagrams

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 Multiple-choice quiz

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