Weathering: involves little or no transportation of the loosened or altered materials

Erosion: process of loosening and movement of sediment from one place to another on the Earth s surface; its agents include: water, ice, wind and gravity

Spheroidal weathering Frost wedging

sheeting

Joint-controlled weathering

Weathering profiles

Feldspar alters to clay minerals

http://www.gly.fsu.edu/~salters/GLY1000/10Weathering_Erosion/10Weathering%20and.htm

Soil: collection of natural, earthy materials on the Earth s surface containing living matter and capable of supporting plants

Compaction and cementation

Lithification

Chemical sediments / sedimentary rocks

Carbonate bank

limestone

coal

salt, potash banded iron formation

Precambrian

Phanerozoic

Cambrian Explosion

Paleozoic ( ancient life )

Mesozoic ( middle life )

Cenozoic ( recent life )

65 Ma

250 Ma

540 Ma

PHANEROZOIC EON

Radiometric Age Determination of Absolute Age

Relative Age Determination

oldest

youngest

intrusion

unconformity (erosion)

How old is Shale #3?

Inclusions & xenoliths

1 4

3 2

2

Heat, Pressure, Stress and Metamorphic Rocks

Compressive stress and brittle failure

Compressive stress and ductile deformation

(flattening)

Ductile deformation

(folding)

Compressive stress

foliated

non-foliated