Weathering in Empty Quarter in Saudi Arabia - Essay Example

Weathering in the Empty Quarters of Kingdom of Saudi The Empty Quarters of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are considered as one of the harshest climates to survive. It is a dry stretch of land that is dominated by sand which is obviously a product of weathered rocks. Weathering is a geological phenomenon; it deals with the breakdown of rocks. There are two main types of weathering; they include physical weathering and chemical weathering. In physical weathering the composition of rocks or particles do not get affected, only their size is reduced, meanwhile in case of chemical weathering the breakdown of rocks or particles is caused by some chemical reactions, which eventually alters the chemical constituents of rocks.

Chemical weathering usually takes place in wet and moist climates, because of rain and interaction of chemicals in their soluble states. On the other hand physical weathering is common in deserts and arid regions, and main source of weathering in these areas is abrasion. Abrasion is defined as the process by which rocks or particles are reduced to smaller size and shape. Some basic types of physical weathering include thermal stress, frost weathering, salt crystal growth, pressure release, and ocean waves.

The process of weathering is associated with erosion, which is simply defined as transfer of free particles from one place to another. Deserts exhibit both the phenomena, at one point there is abrasion, and the other point the weathered sand or rocks are carried away with wind, and then they are deposited. The process of deposition in sand results in the formation of sand dunes. There are four different types of sand dunes. They are Barchan, Star Dunes, Domal Dunes, Longitudinal Dunes, and Sand Sheets.

The variation in dunes is due to their shape, size, location, and the direction of wind. Sourceshttp://ksalandscapetheemptyquarter.blogspot.com/http://www.earthonlinemedia.com/ebooks/tpe_3e/mass_movement_weathering/weathering.html