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Ce321 Geo Lec Chap1 Soil Formation

The document discusses soil formation, detailing the processes of weathering, including mechanical and chemical types, and their effects on rock and soil composition. It explains the factors influencing weathering rates and the resulting soil properties, including texture and profile. Additionally, it covers mass movements of soil and rock, their classifications, and the impact of climate and topography on soil formation.

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Christian Tinga Bernaldez
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50 views90 pages

Ce321 Geo Lec Chap1 Soil Formation

The document discusses soil formation, detailing the processes of weathering, including mechanical and chemical types, and their effects on rock and soil composition. It explains the factors influencing weathering rates and the resulting soil properties, including texture and profile. Additionally, it covers mass movements of soil and rock, their classifications, and the impact of climate and topography on soil formation.

Uploaded by

Christian Tinga Bernaldez
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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CE 321 GEOTECHNICAL ENG’G

Chapter I
Soil Formation

ENGR. CARMEL D. ANIGA, MENG.


Rocks on the Earth’s
surface undergo
changes in
appearance and
composition
Weathering: Physical or
chemical changes in rock
material exposed at surface
1. Mechanical (Physical)-
physically change rock into
smaller pieces
2. Chemical-
breakdown of rock by
changing its chemical
Types of Mechanical
Weathering
weathering
1. Frost wedging-
occurs when water
seeps into rocks and
freezes
Ice
wedging
Types of Mechanical
Weathering
2. Exfoliation- process where
sheets of rock peel or flake
away

- a result of unloading (uplift of


rock causes surface layers of
rock to expand and separate)
Example of exfoliation:
Types of Mechanical
Weathering
weathering
3. Biological activity-
roots of plants and
burrowing animals
weather away rock
Weathering by plants
Weathering by
sandmartins nesting in
cliff
Types of Mechanical
Weathering
weathering
4. Abrasion- collision of
rock with one another
resulting in breaking
and wearing away.
• Abrasion refers to the breaking
and grinding away of solid rock by
collisions with moving particles.

• Abrasion takes place in many


environments:
– fast-moving streams
– beaches subject to storm waves
– desert environments with high
winds
– beneath glaciers that are loaded
Water-carried particles
eating away at the
rock
Storm waves have
eaten away at the
shoreline
The ocean waves have
eroded this beach leaving
behind a cliff as the soil was
washed away
Types of Chemical
Weathering
1. Hydrolysis:
Change in
composition of
minerals when they
react with water
Feldspar combines with H2O to
form a common clay called
kaolin
Types of Chemical
Weathering
2. Carbonation –
When some minerals
come in contact with
carbonic acid, they
form a new product
Stalactites caused by
carbonation

Limestone
is eaten
away by
acid and
deposits
as it drips
from
ceiling of
cavern
Types of Chemical
Weathering
3. Oxidation –
When metallic
elements combine
with oxygen
Oxidation =
rust!
Types of Chemical
Weathering
4. Acid
Precipitation
“acid rain”
Types of Chemical
Weathering
5. Plant acids – plants
secrete acids that
erode away the rock
Lichens and
mosses
grow on
rocks and
secrete
weak acids
that
dissolve the
Rate of
weathering
depends on
4 things…
1. Rock composition
•Igneous and
metamorphic rocks
don’t weather easily
•Sedimentary rocks do
2. Amount of exposure
•More exposure it
receives, faster it will
weather
•Amount of time and
amount of surface area
exposed is also
3. Climate
•Slow in very hot /
very cold climates
•Fairly rapid in warm,
humid climates
Cleopatra’s needle after
only one century in New
York City
4. Topography
•Elevation or slope of
surface where rock is
located affects rate of
weathering
Results of Weathering:
•Soil
•Bedrock
•Regolith
Soil
•Complex mixture of
minerals, water,
gases, and remains of
plants and animals
Humus
•Dark, organic
material, remains of
animals and plants
Humus:
Regolith
•A layer of weathered
rock fragments
•(covers much of Earth’s
surface)
Bedrock
•Solid, unweathered
rock that lies beneath
regolith
Bedrock
Bedrock
Composition of Soil:
Soil Texture:
• The proportion of
different soil particle sizes
• Influences the soil’s
ability to support plants
•Consists of 3 main types
classified by particle size
Soil Composition
1.Clays: less than .0002
mm in diameter
(feldspar)
2.Silts: between .002mm
- .06mm
3.Sand: between .06mm
The portions of clay,
silt, and sands
depends on the
parent
Parent material
material
or “parent rock”
is the rock from which the
soil was weathered.
CLAY
SILT
SAND
Soil Texture Diagram

Loamy soils
are the best
for growing
plants
Soil profile:
•A cross-section in which
the layers of the soil and
bedrock can be seen
•Each layer is called a
horizon.
•In fully developed residual
soil, there are three
Humus &
A Topsoil

B
Subsoil
C

R Regolith
Parent Rock
A horizon
(topsoil)
•mixture of organic and
small rock particles

B horizon
(subsoil)
•contains minerals and
clay
C horizon
(regolith)
•partially
weathered
bedrock
Impacts on Soil
• Climate is most
important factor
influencing soil
formation
Soil and Topography
•The configuration of
the land (topography)
plays a role in soil
formation.
Thinner on slope
because water erodes
soil & deposits it down
the slope
Tends to be
thicker here
(deposited)
Mass Movements
• The transfer of rock and soil
down slope due to gravity
• The combined actions of
weathering and mass
movement produce most
landforms
• Streams and valleys are the
most common landforms on
earth
1.Water – heavy rain and snow
saturate the ground

2.Oversteepened Slopes –
angles 25 to 40 degrees will hold loose
particles. If the slope is greater than 40
degrees slips become less likely.

3.Removal of Vegetation – plant


roots stabilize
4.Earthquakes
talus: a
pile of rock
fragments
that
accumulat
es at the
base of the
slope in
piles
Geologists classify mass
movements based on 3
things:
1.Kind of material that
moves
2.How it moves
3.Speed of movement
1. Rockfall: rocks or rock
fragments fall freely
through the air
•is the most rapid
•Common on steep slopes
& can trigger other mass
movements
2. Slide: a block of material
moves suddenly along flat,
inclined surface
Slumgullion landslide

Hinsdale County, Colorado


700 years old and still moving
Rockslide: slides including
segments of bedrock
3. Slump: downward
movement of a block of
material along a curved surface
•Leaves a crescent-shaped cliff
A slump is a type of slope failure which involves
the rotational movement of soil or rock
4. Flows:
mass
movements
of materials
containing
large
amount of
water
Earthflow –
moves slowly

Mudflow – moves
5. Creep: slowest type of
mass movement. (freezing &
thawing)
Reference:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1I4YxnTRMFcDssqFO6UExEmnauQVIPX5bW_FP58aft8/htmlpresent

-FIN-

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