Essay On Chemical Weathering

886 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Chemical weathering academic essay

Madison Fogel
November 9, 2017
Period 1

Chemical Weathering

Background
Chemical weathering is caused by rain water reacting with the mineral grains in rocks to form new minerals (clays) and soluble salts (soluble-a substance able to be dissolved, especially in water). The process breaks down rocks. These reactions occur particularly when the water is slightly acidic. There are different types of chemical weathering. There’s hydrolysis, which is the chemical breakdown of a substance when combined with water. When water combines with the substances in rocks, it forms new types of substances, which are softer than original rock types.It’s easier to break them apart.There’s oxidation, which is the reaction of a substance with oxygen. When oxygen …show more content…

This process takes place with carbon dioxide, it reacts with certain types of rocks forming a solution that can easily be carried by water. Then there’s lichens and acid rain. Lichens are a combination of fungi and algae and grow on rocks and produce acids that break down the minerals within the rocks. Leaching is the process of removing dissolved minerals as they are carried to lower layers in the soil. The chemical weathering processes need water and occur more rapidly at higher temperatures. So warm, damp climates are the best places where chemical weathering occurs. It would most likely occur most when it’s raining because chemical weathering needs water for the process/ processes to happen. Water also interacts with calcites in caves, causing them to dissolve. In addition to changing the shapes of rocks, chemical weathering from water changes the composition of water. Weathering over billions of years is a big …show more content…

In the chart above, you can clearly see a plot was misplaced. It’s because the initial mass of the zinc was so high, and then the final mass was so low. Maybe to improve to increase the accuracy of this experiment, we could leave the metal in the acid in a longer period of time or we could use different types of metal with the same mass or the same metal, same mass, but different “forms” (Crushed up zinc, block of zinc…). Maybe we also could’ve changed the type of liquid we put the zinc in (such as soda or tomato juice) instead of half being water and acid. This experiment showed me that chemical weathering does have an impact on nature. I read in an article about how the ocean is becoming more acidic because of chemical weathering. Since the ocean is becoming more acidic, it’s destroying aquatic life. For example, it’s destroying shells since the ocean is becoming more acidic. So, when we put the metal in the acid, the acid broke the metal

Show More
Related

  • Evaluation of How the Box Hill Area is Influenced by Human Activity

    4756 Words  | 10 Pages

    1. 225 MY : Weathering and erosion of very old folded rocks on an area

    Read More

  • Deterioration: A Case Study

    3249 Words  | 7 Pages

    Noticeable indications of deterioration have been shown in numerous patients few hours prior to a critical condition (Jeroen Ludikhuize, et al.2012). Critical condition can be prevented by recognizing and responding to early indications of clinical and physiological deterioration ( kyriacosu, jelsma,&jordan (2011). According to NPSA (2007) delay in responding to deteriorating vital signs have been defined as an complication resulting in prolonged length of stay, disability or death, not attributed to the patient's underlying illness procedure along but by their health-care management ( Baba-Akbari Sari et al. 2006; Helling, Martin, Martin, & Mitchell, 2014). A number of studies demonstrate that changes or alterations in a patient’s

    Read More

  • Essay On Rain Rot

    765 Words  | 2 Pages

    Rain rot is a severe skin infection in horses, but it is actually a normal inhabitant of the skin on horses. So why does this disease seem to be so serious? Although it lives naturally in the horses skin, rain rot can get very serious if it gets persistently damaged or wet. This can cause an infection to occur. Rain rot is also called rain scald or dermatophilosis. It is caused by dermatophilus congolensis. Dermatophilus congolensis is a gram-positive bacterium and is the etiologic agent of rain rot. It lives within the skin until the skin is disturbed some how. “The bacteria live in the outer layer of the skin and cause from pinpoint to large, crusty scabs.” (Mendell, 2014, January 29.) It can happen when there is high humidity, wetness for a log period of time, high temperature, or even attacks by biting insects. An increase in the number of biting insects can occur if there is high humidity or warm temperatures so it is best to have a cooling spot for the horses. The biting insects are how this disease can spread from horse to horse. Although there is a natural immunity, some horses are more susceptible to it and can get it year after year. Their must be an infected carrier, or even a fomite like a saddle or a blanket that has the organism in the form of a spore. The spores then have to come in contact with the susceptible animal. Once these spores attach, you can start to see the disease take over the horses body.

    Read More

  • The Environmental Responsibility Of Diamond Mining And The Environment

    808 Words  | 2 Pages

    Water is a natural resource in the world and due to mining it is becoming scarce. Surrounding communities are forced to relocate due to the mining companies operating in their area and using their drinking water. Diamond mining uses large quantities of water and thus ends up polluting the water or dehydrating the environment around it; in turn causing soil erosion due to the dryness of the ground.

    Read More

  • What Is Acid Rain?

    843 Words  | 2 Pages

    The outcomes due to acid rain is most obvious in aquatic habitats. As the acidity in lakes increase, the water becomes clearer and the lives of fish and other water animals decrease. The acidity of the water does not just affect species directly, it also causes toxic substances like aluminum to be released into the water from the soil, harming fish and other aquatic animals. Lakes, rivers and marshes each have their own fragile ecosystem with many different species of plants and animals all depending on one another to survive. If a species of fish disappears, the animals which feed on it will gradually disappear too. If the extinct fish used to feed on a particular species of large insect, that insect population will start to grow, this in turn will affect the smaller insects or plankton on which the larger insect

    Read More

  • Acid Mine Drainage

    1376 Words  | 3 Pages

    When the water comes into contact with the pyrite, the chemical reactions that take place causes the water to increase in pH which will dissolve heavy metals which stay in solution. However, when the pH levels reach a certain stage, the iron can then precipitate out, coating sediments with the characteristic yellow, red or orange colourings (D.E.P. 2, 2002; U.S.G.S.; U.S.E.P.A., 2002). The rate that A.M.D. advances is also influenced by the presence of certain bacteria (Doyle; U.S.G.S). A.M.D that has dissolved heavy metals such as copper, lead and mercury can contaminate ground and surface water. Especially at risk are mines that are located above the water table (Keller, 2000; D.E.P. 2, 2002). The sources of water that get polluted can be surface water that permeates into the mine, shallow ground water flowing through the mine or any water that comes into contact with the waste tailings produced by mines.

    Read More

  • How Natural Processes Operate at Coastal Geographic Environment

    1040 Words  | 3 Pages

    Chemical Weathering is when water weakens the structure of the rock and Mechanical Weathering is where water seeps into the rock face causing fragments of rock to break off.

    Read More

  • Sedimentary Rock Formation

    554 Words  | 2 Pages

    The rocks are formed in places where there had been water at one time. Dead animals, plants and pieces or rock minerals carried by wind, water, ice, and gravity sink to the bottom of bodies or water. When the body of water dries up the rock becomes a surface layer.

    Read More

  • Loch Ness Monster Mystery

    1417 Words  | 3 Pages

    The location of where the rocks are located is one of the main reasons

    Read More

  • Iron Corrosion Essay

    1856 Words  | 4 Pages

    Introduction: Corrosion of iron causes many problems around the world. Many things that made up of iron metal like cars, bridges, ships and houses can be destroyed if the metals have been corroded. There are many ways to make the corrosion happen. Iron will be oxidised when it’s been exposed in the air for a long time and react with oxygen and water to make the iron rust. Higher temperature can speed up the rusting as well as the acidic liquid that presents on the surface of the metal. Acid rain could be one of the sources of the acidic liquid. For acid, the strong acid donates more protons H+ in the reaction so the iron will react with the hydrogen quicker to speed up the corrosion. The rusting forms because iron has been oxidised, so with acids there won’t be a layer of rust on the surface of the iron metal. In this practical, the corrosion that cause by acid will be investigated.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Zinc

    726 Words  | 2 Pages

    Zinc is an essential trace element for many living organisms. While this can be said about other essential metals, zinc is unique in its physiochemical properties that give it the ability to interact with donor groups of different ligands, resulting in a broad range of stability constants and diversity of the biological functions and processes that zinc is involved in. It was discovered and recognized as a new metal in the eightieth century, While its biological essentiality was found by Raulin for the growth of Aspergillus niger In 1869 [1]. In 1933 Zinc was found essential for the growth of animals while studying its effect on rats. [2]

    Read More

  • Acid Rain Essay

    1513 Words  | 4 Pages

    Acid rain is becoming an increasing dilemma due to pollution made from erupting volcanoes, rotting vegetation, and most importantly, the burning of fossil fuels. It has been linked to the corruption of lakes and streams, a decrease in fish and wildlife populations, and human health risks. Not only does it endanger aquatic fish and wildlife but acid rain is also known for the destruction of man-made structures. This phenomenon is becoming a growing concern as the consequences of human pollution are being observed through it. Although the results of acid rain cannot be negated, there are precautions that can be taken in order to prevent further destruction of the environment.

    Read More

  • How To Prevent Acid Rain Essay

    600 Words  | 2 Pages

    Every day, factories, power plants, and even your cars emit dangerous chemicals into our atmosphere. When these chemicals mix with the moisture in our air, acid rain is produced. Acid rain falls onto lakes, rivers, fields, and forests destroying them. Acid rain is a serious environmental concern, however, it can be prevented.

    Read More

  • Causes And Disadvantages Of Air Pollution Essay

    1069 Words  | 3 Pages

    Acid rain is when chemicals like nitrogen and sulphur-dioxide are released into the atmosphere and react with the water vapour, and acid pours in form of rain. This is very dangerous because it destroys infrastructures and some buildings, and also dissolves the human

    Read More

  • Mining and The Environment

    1298 Words  | 3 Pages

    Left behind are tailings, which are large piles of crushed rock left over when minerals have been extracted from rocks that once contained them. These tailings are then left prone to wind dispersion and water erosion. This wind dispersion occurs since the sand-like tailings are easily swept up by the atmosphere by wind and spread throughout the environment as dust particles. Figure 1 shows the wind erosion of a mine tailings pile being blow up into the air, creating dust. These tailings contain metal contaminants like arsenic, lead, and cadmium, which creates a problem for the environment and they can persist for decades due to the low pH levels and can cause problems in soil stabilization (arizona.edu, 2008).

    Read More

More about Essay On Chemical Weathering

Open Document