Question

What happens to the rate of chemical weathering if a rock undergoes mechanical weathering? Justify your answer.

Answer 1

The rate of chemical weathering will increase because the rock that has been mechanically weathered will be smaller and have more surface area.

Answer 2

The rate of chemical weathering will increase.

Step-by-step explanation:

Mechanical weathering is derived from the action of living beings, which degrade surface structures as they move over them. Based on this, we can state that, mechanical weathering promotes rock wear, providing crumbling and causing layers of the rock to provide more surface area.

Thus, the rock will have more contact with water, which is the most important agent of chemical weathering, and will allow chemical weathering to increase because it will react chemically with the mineral components of the rocks, producing acidic substances that corrode them, which favors degradation. In regions of tropical climates, where humidity levels are high, chemical weathering will be even more intense, while in regions of cold and arid climate, the degradation of rocks is lower.

In short, we can say that mechanical weathering allows for an increase in chemical weathering.