MacDonald, Abbott, and Peterson, Volcanoes in the Sea, Chapter 8, p. 173
1. Define weathering.
2. List the two types of weathering.
3. Describe the process of mechanical weathering.
4. Describe the process of chemical weathering.
5. Are mechanical and chemical weathering processes related?
6. Why does mechanical weathering predominate on the tops of the largest Hawaiian volcanoes?
7. Explain how daily freezing and thawing can cause mechanical weathering.
8. At the lower altitudes in Hawaii, which mechanical weathering process caused by plants is important?
9. Explain how mechanical weathering aids the process of chemical weathering.
10. Why is chemical weathering more important in Hawaii than mechanical weathering?
11. Which gas is released in soil by the decay of organic matter?
12. How is carbonic acid (H2CO3), the most common acid involved in rock weathering, formed?
13. Explain how Bowen’s Reaction Series is related to the rate at which minerals weather chemically.
14. Which insoluble mineral is a weathering product of feldspar?
15. Why is another clay mineral, montmorillonite, derived from the chemical weathering of minerals in Hawaiian rocks, associated with landslides?
16. Which two products are the principle compounds resulting from chemical weathering in Hawaii?
17. Why is iron oxide a common weathering product in Hawaii?
18. Explain why most of the soil in Hawaii is red.
19. How is a tuff cone formed?
20. Have swelling (expansive) clays done property damage in Hawaii?
21. Which type of swelling clay is the most common in Hawaii?
22. How expansive is montmorillonite?
23. In general, what color is soil rich in montmorillonite?
24. Define the term thixotropic.