Physical Weathering Day One Physical Weathering The process

Physical Weathering Day One

Physical Weathering The process that breaks down rock into smaller pieces.

Temperature Change • Increase in temperature will cause rock to expand • Decrease in temperature will cause rock to shrink • Repeated will cause rock to crumble

Where on Earth would physical weathering from temperature changes be most common? Least common?

Pressure Change • Rocks formed underground can be exposed to the surface • As the rock appears above ground the pressure changes • Exfoliation: the outer layer of the rock slowly wears away because of a change in pressure

Where is the example of exfoliation?

Animal Action • Animals can cause physical weathering by digging. • New rocks, soils, and other materials become exposed at the surface • Materials exposed at the surface are more likely to undergo weathering than those below.

Wind, Water, Gravity • Abrasion is the breaking down and wearing away of rock material by the mechanical action of other rocks. • Three agents of physical weathering that can cause abrasion are moving water, wind, and gravity. • Rocks suspended in a glacier can also cause abrasion of other rocks on Earth’s surface.

Describe the weathering process in this picture.

Describe how these rocks weather.

Plant Growth • Roots of plants start out as tiny strands that may grow in small cracks in rocks. • As the roots grow, they put more pressure on the rock, causing the rock to expand eventually break apart.

What’s happening in this picture?