Question #83758
1 Answer
Mechanical Weathering.
Explanation:
Mechanical weathering is the process of breaking large rocks into smaller ones. This process usually takes place on the surface of the earth, and has a couple of different forms;
One form of mechanical weathering is due to temperature fluctuations on the surface of the planet. Cool nights and hot days cause things to expand and contract due to thermal expansion. This movement can cause rocks to crack and break apart. Roots and plants can also push into the rocks, acting like wedges, prying them apart.
Another form of mechanical weathering is called freeze-thaw. It refers to the process of water already inside of rocks freezing and expanding, cracking the rocks from the inside and eventually breaking them apart. If a single freeze-thaw cycle doesn't break the rock, it can still increase the number of cracks the rock has, allowing more water to get in and later freeze again.
A third form of mechanical weathering is called salt wedging. During rainfall, water gets everywhere. The water in rain usually contains a multitude of ions and salt dissolved inside of it. When this water evaporates, it leaves the salt crystals behind. If water flows into cracks in a rock and evaporates, these salt crystals will slowly begin to grow, acting like a wedge and cracking the rock apart.
