Paper 1 · Slope Processes and Weathering
Which weathering process involves organic acids produced by plant roots and decomposing organic matter bonding with and removing metal ions from a mineral's structure?
Ahydration
Bcarbonation
Cchelation
Dhydrolysis
Explanation: Chelation is a chemical weathering process in which organic acids from plant roots and decomposing organic matter bond with and remove metal ions from a mineral's structure, weakening and breaking it down. Hydration, carbonation and hydrolysis are other chemical weathering reactions involving water and dissolved carbon dioxide rather than organic acids.
Derived from ZIMSEC Geography Paper 1, November 2003, Q6
