1. Feedback on Weathering of Rock
By Sultan Chowdhury
EAS 48800/Spring 2014

2. Rock weathering: Weathering is the breaking
down of rocks, soil and minerals as well as
artificial materials through contact with the
Earth's atmosphere, biota and waters.
[wikipedia.org]
What are the factors for rock weathering?
……..any guess?

3. Factors of rock weathering:
1. Parent rock types
2. Climate
3. Organisms
4. Topography
5. Time
ucsc.edu

4. Now, how weathering effects on
carbon?
• On land:
Acidic rain’s pH<5.5
2CO2 + 3H2O + CaAl2Si2O8 (Anorthite)---------
Ca2+ + 2HCO3 + Al2Si2O5(OH)4(Kaolinite)
Where as in the ocean, part of the above reaction is
reversed: Ocean’s pH=8.2
• Ca2+ + 2HCO3
- --------------- CaCO3 + CO2+ H2O
ucsc.edu

5. ucsc.edu

6. Columbia.edu

7. The carbon is now resting under
the seafloor in layers of limestone

8. Atmospheric CO2 vs. time
Berner (1997)

9. Annotated bibliography
1. Weathering. (n.d.). . Retrieved , from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weathering
2. Kalolin. (n.d.). . Retrieved , from http://www.mineralco.net/kaolin/kaolin.php
3. The Carbon Cycle and Earth's Climate. (n.d.). . Retrieved , from
http://www.columbia.edu/~vjd1/carbon.htm
4. Schsinger. (n.d.). Rock weathering takes CO2 off the air. . Retrieved , from
http://www.ic.ucsc.edu/~wxcheng/envs23/lecture11/weath_schsinger.jpg
5. Berner, R. Atmospheric CO2 versus time. Science, 276, 544.
6. Quartz as a Rock-Forming Mineral. (2012, June 6). . Retrieved , from
http://www.quartzpage.de/gen_rock.html
7. Jesssey, D. (n.d.). WEATHERING AND SEDIMENTARY ROCKS. . Retrieved , from
http://geology.csupomona.edu/drjessey/class/Gsc101/Weathering.html
8.http://s155.n46.n171.n68.static.myhostcenter.com/WVFossils/Reference_Docs
/Geocarb_III-Berner.pdf
9. Weathering of rocks impacts climate change. (2012, May 5). . Retrieved , from
http://phys.org/news/2012-03-weathering-impacts-climate.html
10. Rock’s power to mop up carbon revisited. (2014, January 14). . Retrieved ,
from http://www.nature.com/news/rock-s-power-to-mop-up-carbon-revisited-
1.14560

10. Questions?

11. Thank you
and
good luck
for finals! 