B. Rates of Erosion 1. Rates of erosion depend on climate, relief, and degree of weathering. Products of Weathering and Erosion A. Solid Materials 1. Original mineral grains and rock fragments. New minerals formed by chemical alteration of other minerals.
Clays are a good example.
Chemical precipitates derived from chemically dissolved material. Biological materials - shells, skeletal parts, organic matter. B. A key Earth material that forms part of the Rock Cycle and yet is not considered to be a rock is soil. Soil may be defined as unlithified Earth material capable of supporting plant growth. Soils usually form when sediment mixed with organic detritus is exposed at the Earth's surface for long periods of time without significant erosion.