Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Weathering is the deterioration of rocks, soils and minerals (as well as wood and artificial materials) through contact with water, atmospheric gases, sunlight, and biological organisms. It occurs in situ (on-site, with little or no movement), and so is distinct from erosion , which involves the transport of rocks and minerals by agents such as ...
This is not the only control on weathering rate; this rate is dependent on both intrinsic (qualities specific to the minerals) and extrinsic (qualities specific to the environment) variables. [1] [2] Climate is a key extrinsic variable, controlling the water to rock ratio, pH, and alkalinity, all of which impact the rate of weathering. [1]
The rate of weathering is sensitive to factors that change how much land is exposed. These factors include sea level , topography , lithology , and vegetation changes. [ 4 ] Furthermore, these geomorphic and chemical changes have worked in tandem with solar forcing, whether due to orbital changes or stellar evolution, to determine the global ...
Dissolved load comprises a significant portion of the total material flux out of a landscape, and its composition is important in regulating the chemistry and biology of the stream water. The dissolved load is primarily controlled by the rate of chemical weathering, which depends on climate and weather conditions such as moisture and ...
Mass wasting is a general term for any process of erosion that is driven by gravity and in which the transported soil and rock is not entrained in a moving medium, such as water, wind, or ice. [2] The presence of water usually aids mass wasting, but the water is not abundant enough to be regarded as a transporting medium.
The slope of the water table is known as the “hydraulic gradient”, which depends on the rate at which water is added to and removed from the aquifer and the permeability of the material. The water table does not always mimic the topography due to variations in the underlying geological structure (e.g., folded, faulted, fractured bedrock).
The water cycle is a key part of Earth's energy cycle through the evaporative cooling at the surface which provides latent heat to the atmosphere, as atmospheric systems play a primary role in moving heat upward. [5] The availability of water plays a major role in determining where the extra heat goes.
Finally, water vapor pressure may also affect the rate of obsidian hydration. If the rate of obsidian hydration band can be controlled for the obsidian's geochemistry (e.g., the "source"), temperature (usually approximated using an "effective hydration temperature" or EHT coefficient) and other factors, it might be possible to date an artifact ...