Final answer:
The key difference between weathering and erosion lies in what they affect. Weathering involves the breakdown of rocks due to physical and chemical processes, while erosion focuses on the physical movement or removal of weathered materials and soil.
Step-by-step explanation:
The correct answer to your question is C) weathering refers to the breakdown of the rock; erosion refers to the removal of the rock from its landscape. In other words, weathering involves both physical and chemical processes, which cause the breakdown of rocks into smaller fragments (like the way mountains are shaped by ice as mentioned in the reference), while erosion is responsible for the movement or displacement of these weathered materials and soil (like soil being carried away by rainwater).
The given references describe how weathering can occur both chemically and physically. In a similar vein to how food breaks down into its chemical building blocks during digestion, rocks can also be chipped away at a molecular level due to chemical reactions with elements in their environment. Conversely, physical weathering, similar to how food gets mechanically broken into smaller pieces during digestion, involves the fragmentation of rocks without a change to their chemical composition.
The references also highlight how erosion is primarily a physical displacement process. Just as water naturally flows downhill, similarly, forces like gravity and water flow lead to the transportation of weathered particles from one location to another, contributing to natural processes such as soil formation and shaping the earth's physical landscape.
Learn more about Erosion and Weathering