Chemical Weathering Of Granite

Granite is extremely hard and less affected by the freeze thaw cycle the forces of abrasion and the surface exfoliation processes that are all a part of physical weathering.

Chemical weathering of granite.

Some minerals like quartz are virtually unaffected by chemical weathering while. Chemical weathering can produce caves made of limestone some types of rock are not easily weathered by chemicals. Ions dissolved in rainwater and soil water mineral fragments and granite fragments clays and iron oxides all of these. What are the products of physical and chemical weathering of granite.

5 2 chemical weathering chemical weathering results from chemical changes to minerals that become unstable when they are exposed to surface conditions. This reaction is called hydrolysis. Granite contains on average 75 of silicon dioxide quartz and feldspar various metal aluminosilicates. Chemical weathering of granite occurs when dilute carbonic acid and other acids present in rain and soil waters alter feldspar in a process called hydrolysis.

The remainder is 15 aluminum oxide and 10 various othe. Chemical weathering occurs when water dissolves minerals in a rock producing new compounds. Chemical weathering is the breakdown of rock induced by reactions between rock minerals and groundwater. Hydrolysis is the chemical weathering of minerals by a mildly acidic water that forms when rains dissolves trace gases in the atmosphere.

It results from the reaction of aqueous acidic and oxidizing solutions with the minerals in rocks and soils. A gravestone made of granite will therefore resist fracturing cracking and chipping longer than a sandstone marker found in the same location. Breakdown of rock to depths of many metres induced by the chemical alteration of rock minerals by groundwater. The deep red color of solis found in georgia and other warm humid regions in caused by.

As demonstrated in the following reaction this causes potassium feldspar to form kaolinite with potassium ions bicarbonate and silica in solution as byproducts. Chemical weathering of rocks is a spontaneous i e irreversible thermodynamic process leading to a more stable state for natural materials under a given set of conditions e g temperature and pressure. The reaction of feldspar minerals in granite with rainwater produces kaolinite white clay known as china clay used in the production of porcelain paper and glass. Hydrolysis occurs for example when water comes in contact with granite.

For example granite and gabbro are hard rocks that are weathered only slowly.