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melissa299
melissa299
Student
High School - 9th Grade

What human activities can increase the rate of weathering?

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Posted by melissa299 on Friday November 14, 2008 at 4:26 PM and tagged with geology, pollution, science, weathering.

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  1. lynn30k Teacher
    High School - 10th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    Humans can affect weathering (breaking down of rock/soil) in several ways.  Humans cause increases in acid rain and pollution, which increase the amount of weathering agents in the air and water, and then on land.  Humans also affect the rate of weathering/erosion by paving over large portions of land, so that normal rain run-off is changed in direction and amount, to places where it was previously not a problem. Other activities such as strip-mining and agriculture can affect the ability of the land to absorb rain, increase erosion and run-off, and increase chemicals in the groundwater.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/earth-science/weathering-weathering...

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    Posted by lynn30k on Friday November 14, 2008 at 4:41 PM