Physical Processes
Weathering
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Weathering is the breakdown of rock while it remains in place, working through three distinct mechanisms: physical weathering (such as water freezing and expanding in cracks), chemical weathering (mildly acidic rainwater reacting with minerals) and biological weathering (plant roots and burrowing animals widening fractures). It supplies the loosened material that erosion then carries away, making it the first stage feeding both erosion and, over longer spans, the rock cycle.
Facts
Process Type TimescaleIndividual freeze-thaw or chemical reaction events are near-instant, but the visible weathering of a rock surface or landscape, such as the limestone of the Yorkshire Pennines, accumulates over centuries. 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Demonstrated By
Uluru's weathered outer surface, shaped by physical and chemical breakdown in place, is a well-documented example of weathering acting on a single exposed monolith.
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