Lesson 17: Weathering and Mass Wasting

April 8, 2024

Review:

• Tectonic and Volcanic landforms
• Your landform slide deck – keep adding, refining
• Interest in a possible credit opportunity for Landform Video/Presentation?

Presentation:

• Weathering
  • Physical weathering
    • Frost Action
    • Salt-crystal growth
    • Thermal Action
    • Exfoliation – brittle onion-like flaking
    • Biological Action – plant growth
  • Chemical weathering
    • Hydrolysis – chemical reactions between water and minerals
    • Oxidation – oxygen and water react to destabilize metal
    • Acid Action
      • Limestone and Carbonation
      • Tower Karst landscape
  • Slopes and Slope Processes
    • Slopes
    • Slope Stability

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• Mass Wasting
  • Creep
  • Rockfalls and Talus Cones
  • Slides

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  • Flows
    • Earthflow
    • Mudflow in a Swiss Village
    • Mudflow – how it happens (NY Times)
    • Lahars – volcanic mudflow
  • Induced Mass Wasting
    • Human disturbance of the landscape
    • Construction, irrigation, mining, etc.
• Chapter 13 Slides

Activity:

• How is your landform affected by Weathering and Mass Wasting?
  • Physical or mechanical weathering?
  • Chemical weathering?
  • Slope processes?
  • Mass wasting events like landslides or mudflows?
• Create one or more slides, adding to your collection, to describe the impact of weathering.

Assignment:

• Read Chapter 13
• Improve/refine your landform slides