Abstract
Weathering is a process of a slow continuous breakdown of rocks into smaller particles that are in equilibrium with the prevailing environment (Bland and Rolls 1998). This process involves both decomposition (chemical breakdown) and disintegration (physical breakdown) of rocks and minerals. When particles are moved from their place of formation (either by moving water, wind, glaciers, and gravity), the process is called Erosion. Hence, products of weathering are a major source of sediments for both erosion and deposition. Sedimentary rocks are made of sediments that have once been weathered, eroded, transported, and eventually deposited in basins. Additionally, weathering also contributes to the formation of soil by providing mineral particles like sand, silt, and clay. The fact that oceans are saline is also due to the release of ion salts from rocks and minerals caused by weathering.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Baulig H (1956) Vocabulaire de géomorphologie. Les Belles Lettres, Paris
Bland W, Rolls D (1998) Weathering: an introduction to scientific principles. Hodder Arnold, New York
Hamblin WK, Christiansen CH (2008) earth’s dynamic systems. Printice Hall, USA 767p
Colman SM, Dethier DP (eds) (1986) Rates of chemical weathering of rocks and minerals. Academic Press, Orlando 603p
Crandell DR, Miller CD, Glicken HX, Christiansen RL, Newhall CG (1984) Catastrophic debris avalanche from ancestral mount Shasta volcano, California. Geology 12:143–146
Harp EL, Jibson RW, Kayen RE, Keefer DK, Sherrod BL, Carver GA, Collins BD, Moss RES, Sitar N (2003) Landslides and liquefaction triggered by the M 7.9 Denali fault earthquake of 3rd November 2002. GSA Today, August 4–10
Highland LM, Ellen SD, Christian SB, Brown III WM (1984) Where do debris flows occur? debris flows in the Western United States. US Geological Survey Fact Sheet 176–97 (http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/fs-176-97/fs-176-97.pdf)
Jibson R, Harp EL, Schulz W, Keefer DK (2004) Landslides triggered by the 2002 Denali fault, Alaska, earthquake and the inferred nature of the strong shaking. Earthq Spectra 20:669–691
Jibson RW, Harp EL, Schulz W, Keefer DK (2006) Large rock avalanches triggered by the M 7–9 Denali fault, Alaska, earthquake of 3rd November 2002. Eng Geol 83:144–160
Keefer DK (2002) Investigating landslides caused by earthquakes—a historical review. Surv Geophys 23:473–510
Matthes FE (1930) Geologic history of the Yosemite Valley: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 160, p 137
USGS (2004) Landslides Types and Processes. US Geological Survey Fact-Sheet 2004-3072. (http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2004/3072). Open source, retrieved on 3/3/2012.
Thornbury WD (1969) Principles of geomorphology, 2nd edn. Wiley, New York, p 594
Wieczorek GF (2002) Catastrophic rockfalls and rockslides in the Sierra Nevada USA. In: Evans SG, DeGraff JV (eds.) Catastrophic landslides effects, occurrence, and mechanisms: Geol Soc Am Rev Eng Geol. Boulder, Colorado 25:126
Wieczorek GF, Jäger S (1996) Triggering mechanisms and depositional rates of postglacial slope-movement processes in the Yosemite Valley, California. Geomorphology 15:17–31
Wieczorek GF, Snyder JB, Alger CS, Isaacson KA (1992) Rock falls in Yosemite Valley, California: US Geol Surv Open-File Rep. 38:92–387
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer India
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Jain, S. (2014). Weathering and Mass Wasting. In: Fundamentals of Physical Geology. Springer Geology. Springer, New Delhi. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-1539-4_7
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-1539-4_7
Publisher Name: Springer, New Delhi
Print ISBN: 978-81-322-1538-7
Online ISBN: 978-81-322-1539-4
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)