EVERYDAY SCIENCE

SCIENCE

EARTH SCIENCE

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
How can water be an agent for physical weathering?
A
by absorbing gases from the atmosphere and ground to chemically react with minerals
B
by seeping into the soil and dissolving the minerals in rocks
C
by absorbing sulfur dioxides and creating acid precipitation
D
by seeping into the cracks of rocks and freezing
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -Frost Wedging occurs when water seeps into cracks of the rocks, freezes and expands, gradually breaking the rock apart into pieces. This expansion leads to the cracking of the rocks from inside and eventually breaks them apart.

Detailed explanation-2: -Physical weathering occurs when physical processes affect the rock, such as changes in temperature or when the rock is exposed to the effects of wind, rain and waves. Water can get into cracks in a rock and, if it freezes, the ice will expand and push the cracks apart.

Detailed explanation-3: -Mechanical Weathering Mechanical weathering, also called physical weathering and disaggregation, causes rocks to crumble. Water, in either liquid or solid form, is often a key agent of mechanical weathering. For instance, liquid water can seep into cracks and crevices in rock.

Detailed explanation-4: -Water flows into rock discontinuities, such as cracks, foliation, or schistosity, and freezes inside these voids if the temperature reaches below 0°C. Water volume increases up to 9–10% due to freezing and the frost heaving force drives the propagation of discontinuities, which may also create new fractures.

Detailed explanation-5: -Frost wedging happens when water filling a crack freezes and expands (as it freezes, water expands 8 to 11% in volume over liquid water). The expanding ice imparts a great amount of pressure against the rock (as much as 30, 000 pounds/square inch) and wedges open the crack.

There is 1 question to complete.