| A | B |
|---|
| Mechanical/Physical Weathering | Rock is physically broken into smaller pieces of the same rock |
| Chemical Weathering | Rock is chemically changed (like rusting or dissolving away) |
| Frost Wedging | Mechanical break up of rock caused by the expansion of freezing water in cracks and crevices. |
| Biological Activity | The activities of organisms, including plants, burrowing animals, and humans causing mechanical weathering. |
| Unloading | When large masses of rock are exposed through erosion and uplift, pressure on the rock is reduced |
| Exfoliation | When a layer breaks in layers (like an onion) |
| Water | Dissolves rock and is the most important cause of chemcial weathering |
| Oxygen | Oxygen+Water+Iron = Rust through the chemical reaction Oxidation |
| Carbon Dioxide | Carbonic Acid weathers softer rock like limestone and marble as it seeps into spaces in rock. |
| Living Organisms | Roots of plants make a weak acid that slowly dissoves rocks around the plant |
| Acid Rain | Causes rock to weather very rapidly |
| Spherodial Weathering | When chemical weathering changes the physical shape of rocks, such as making sharp edges round |
