117,886 views
33 votes
33 votes
Is a type of weathering where rock is broken down as it absorbs water

User ScottJShea
by
2.2k points

2 Answers

22 votes
22 votes
mechanical weathering
User Sanjeev Saha
by
3.0k points
15 votes
15 votes

Answer:

This is known as Mechanical Weathering.

Step-by-step explanation:

Mechanical weathering is the process by which surfaces are degraded by interacting with something else, physically. Common methods of weathering are caused by wind, ice and water. Valleys are a distinct example of weathering and come in two types — “U” valleys and “V” valleys, so called because they are in the shape of those two letters.

How does mechanical and chemical weathering differ?

Erosion is the result of weathering (not the only one, but a major one). Chemical weathering is the result of interactions between a rock and its surroundings, often air or water. The elements in air and water can react with a rock's minerals to break them down into softer substances. Rocks that are exposed at the surface are therefore changed by these processes and become "weathered": their color is faded, their surface is softer, and they are crumbly (often). As iron-containing minerals oxidize, weathered rocks can take on a variety of red, orange, and yellow hues. Ice, for example, creates a lot of mechanical damage called physical weathering. When water freezes, it pushes the joint or crack farther apart, eventually causing the exposed rocks to break. Water seeps into joints and fissures in the rocks. Rocks are broken down by weathering and erosion into smaller and smaller pieces until soil is created or the smaller pieces may be carried by flowing water into streams and rivers, where they are sorted by size and redeposited as gravels, sands, and mud.

User Rusha
by
2.9k points