Weathering

Weathering is the process of -

• Moving sediment from one place to another

• Dropping or leaving sediment in a location

• Breaking down rocks into sediment

An example of chemical weathering is -

• Ice wedging

• Oxidation

• Animals burrowing

• Crashing waves

An example of physical weathering is -

• Plant roots and leaves releasing acids

• Carbonic acid dissolving limestone

• Large temperature changes

• Lichens growing on rocks

Ice wedging is an example of -

• Physical weathering

• Chemical weathering

• Both physical AND chemical weathering

Over millions of years, weak carbonic acid can dissolve limestone to form -

• Cracks in rocks

• Caves and caverns

• Mountains and cliffs

Lichens are -

• Specialized plants

• Flat, crusty mushrooms

• A fungus living together with an algae or a bacteria

Carbonic acid is formed in nature when -

• Water dissolves particles of soil to form mud

• The oxygen molecules in water bond with minerals in rocks

• Water bonds with carbon dioxide in the air and/or soil

Plant roots conduct -

• Physical weathering

• Chemical weathering

• Both physical AND chemical weathering

Fallen plant leaves help break down rocks as they -

• Release or leach acids as they decompose

• Get into cracks, expand, and make the cracks wider

• Scratch and wear away the surface of rocks

Which kind of weathering involves the breakdown of rocks through direct contact with atmospheric conditions such as heat, water, ice and pressure?

• physical
• chemical