Final answer:
Water entering rocks through surface cracks in environments with extreme temperature variations can freeze, leading to expansion and the creation of fractures in the rocks, a process known as frost wedging. The expansion of water upon freezing can exert significant pressure, capable of breaking rigid structures. This same principle of thermal expansion affects other materials and can lead to damage if not properly managed.
Step-by-step explanation:
In environments with extreme temperature variations, water entering rocks through surface cracks can freeze and create fractures in the rocks. When water freezes, it expands approximately 9% by volume, exerting significant pressure on the encompassing material.
This expansion can fracture boulders, rupture cells, or break any rigid structure that constrains it. This physical weathering process is part of what is known as frost wedging or frost shattering. The cyclic freezing and thawing of water in cracks can progressively pry rocks apart, leading to the gradual disintegration of larger rock formations.
Other materials also undergo changes with temperature variations; for instance, materials that expand when heated and are constrained can deform or break their container. Structures like railroad tracks and roadways can buckle if they lack expansion joints, and power lines can sag in the heat or snap in the cold if not properly accommodated for expansion and contraction. Similarly, glass cookware can crack if cooled rapidly or unevenly due to differential contraction, which creates stress within the material.