explain the process of mechanical wheathering
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Answer:
Mechanical weathering is the process through which large rocks are broken into increasingly smaller pieces. ... It involves mechanical processes that disintegrate a rock, like tree roots growing in cracks in a rock and eventually breaking it up. Mechanical weathering doesn't change the chemical nature of the rocks.
Process of Mechanical Weathering
The main process in mechanical weathering is abrasion, a physical process by which rocks and clasts are reduced in size. Abrasion by ice, water, and wind processes loaded with sediments can have immense cutting power. The world’s greatest gorges, valleys, and ravines are largely a result of abrasion.
In glacial regions, massive masses of moving ice embedded with soil and rock particles grind down rocks in their path, carrying away large volumes of material. Tree roots sometimes penetrate cracks in rocks and wedge them apart, leading to disintegration.
Temperature fluctuations from daytime to nighttime may cause a rock to expand and contract. This weakens the rock, causing it to fracture and eventually disintegrate. To have a deeper understanding of these processes, let’s explore the different types of mechanical weathering.
Process of Mechanical Weathering
- The main process in mechanical weathering is abrasion, a physical process by which rocks and clasts are reduced in size.
- Abrasion by ice, water, and wind processes loaded with sediments can have immense cutting power.
- The world’s greatest gorges, valleys, and ravines are largely a result of abrasion.
- In glacial regions, massive masses of moving ice embedded with soil and rock particles grind down rocks in their path, carrying away large volumes of material.
- Tree roots sometimes penetrate cracks in rocks and wedge them apart, leading to disintegration.
- Temperature fluctuations from daytime to nighttime may cause a rock to expand and contract.
- This weakens the rock, causing it to fracture and eventually disintegrate.
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