Which rocks are least resistant to weathering?
Table of Contents
Which rocks are least resistant to weathering?
Certain types of rock are very resistant to weathering. Igneous rocks, especially intrusive igneous rocks such as granite, weather slowly because it is hard for water to penetrate them. Other types of rock, such as limestone, are easily weathered because they dissolve in weak acids.
Which mineral is least resistant to weathering?
1. Table 6.2: Iron oxides, Al-hydroxides, clay minerals and quartz are the most stable weathered products whereas highly soluble minerals like halite are the least stable.
What makes a rock more or less resistant to weathering?
Igneous rocks are usually solid and are more resistant to weathering. Intrusive igneous rocks weather slowly because it is hard for water to penetrate them. Sedimentary rocks usually weather more easily. For example, limestone dissolves in weak acids like rainwater.
Which rocks are the most resistant to weathering?
Quartz is known to be the most resistant rock- forming mineral during surface weathering.
Is clay resistant to weathering?
Not only is quartz the most stable of the common rock forming minerals in chemical weathering, its high hardness and lack of cleavage make it quite resistant to mechanical weathering….
| solid materials | 1) clays |
|---|---|
| 2) quartz sand (if the rock originally contained quartz) | |
| dissolved materials | 3) soluble silica |
| 4) metal cations |
Is limestone resistant to weathering?
Limestone in arid environments tends to be as resistant to weathering and erosion as sandstone, or more so. Limestone, however, has another property unlike sandstone or shale. Limestone is composed mostly of calcite (calcium carbonate) and will dissolve in acidic water.
Is granite resistant to weathering?
Rocks that contain quartz stand up well to the forces of chemical weathering. Granite is extremely resistant and sandstone a little less so due to the percentage of quartz that each rock type contains.
Is shale resistant to weathering?
Shales contain clay particles in finely laminated beds and break down easily when exposed. Organic acids produced from plants and rain water react chemically with shale to speed up the weathering process.
