Читать книгу The Economic Aspect of Geology - C. K. Leith - Страница 28

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No sooner do igneous rocks appear at or near the earth's surface, either by extrusion or as a result of removal by erosion of the overlying cover, than they are attacked vigorously by the gases and waters of the atmosphere and hydrosphere as well as by various organisms—with maximum effect at the surface, but with notable effects extending as far down as these agents penetrate. The effectiveness of these agents is also governed by the climatic and topographic conditions. Under conditions of extreme cold or extreme aridity, weathering takes the form mainly of mechanical disintegration, and chemical change is less conspicuous. Under ordinary conditions, however, processes of chemical decomposition are very apparent. The result is definitely known. The rocks become softened, loose, and incoherent. Voids and openings appear. The volume tends to increase, if all end products are taken into account. The original minerals, largely feldspar, ferro-magnesian minerals, and quartz, become changed to clay, mixed with quartz or sand, calcite or dolomite, and iron oxide, together with residual particles of the original feldspars and ferro-magnesian minerals which have only partly decomposed. In terms of elements or chemical composition, water, oxygen, and carbon dioxide, all common constituents of the atmosphere and hydrosphere, have been added; and certain substances such as soda, potassa, lime, magnesia, and silica have in part been carried away by circulating waters, to be redeposited elsewhere as sediments, vein fillings, and cements. Figure 1 illustrates the actual mineral and volume changes in the weathering of a granite—one of the most common rocks. The minerals anorthite, albite, and orthoclase named in this figure are all feldspars; sylvite and halite are chlorides of potash and soda. The weathering processes tend to destroy the original minerals, textures, and chemical composition. They are collectively known as katamorphic alterations, meaning destructive changes. The zone in which these changes are at a maximum is called the zone of weathering. This general zone is principally above the surface or level of the ground-waters, but for some rocks it extends well below this level. In some regions the ground-water level may be nearly at the surface, and in others, especially where arid, it may be two thousand or more feet down. Disintegrated weathered rocks form a blanket of variable thickness, which is sometimes spoken of as the residual mantle, or "mantle rock."