Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
FIGURE 6.11
Nonarea true stereo-net (Wulff net).
6.2
Original Rock-Mass Forms
6.2.1
Significance
General
Igneous and sedimentary rocks are formed with bodies of characteristic shapes, and some
igneous bodies change the land surface during formation. Metamorphic rocks modify the
igneous and sedimentary formations.
Landforms
Weathering processes attack the rock masses, eroding them differentially, resulting in char-
acteristic landforms (see also
Section 6.7.3)
.
The landforms reflect the rock type and its
resistance to weathering agents, but climate exerts a strong influence. For a given rock
type, humid climates result in more rounded surface features because of greater chemical
weathering, and arid climates result in more angular features because of the predomi-
nance of mechanical weathering processes.
