Mechanical/ Chemical Weathering
Mechanical weathering processes serve to physically break large rocks or sedimentary particles into smaller ones. That is, mechanical weathering disintegrates earth materials. An example of mechanical weathering is when water, which has seeped down into cracks in a rock, freezes. The pressure created by freezing and expanding of the water breaks the rock apart. By breaking up rock and producing sediment, mechanical weathering increases the surface area of the rock and so speeds up its rate of chemical weathering.
Chemical weathering processes attack the minerals in rocks. Chemical weathering either decomposes minerals to produce other, more stable compounds or simply dissolves them away. Chemical weathering usually requires the presence of water. You may have noticed during a visit to a cemetery that the inscription on old marble headstones is rather blurred. This is because rainwater, which is a weak acid.
Chemical weathering processes attack the minerals in rocks. Chemical weathering either decomposes minerals to produce other, more stable compounds or simply dissolves them away. Chemical weathering usually requires the presence of water. You may have noticed during a visit to a cemetery that the inscription on old marble headstones is rather blurred. This is because rainwater, which is a weak acid.