GEOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Water seeps into cracks in the rocks, and, as the temperature drops below freezing, the water expands as ice in the cracks. The expansion exerts tremendous pressure on the surrounding rock and acts like a wedge, making cracks wider. After repeated freezing and thawing of water, the rock breaks apart.

Detailed explanation-2: -Water can get into cracks in a rock and, if it freezes, the ice will expand and push the cracks apart. When the ice melts, more water can get into the larger crack; if it freezes again it expands and can make the crack even bigger.

Detailed explanation-3: -So, the water which collects in the cracks of rocks expands on freezing. This puts pressure on the rock. The ice again melts and then freezes again. This process continues and the crack in rock expands to destroy the rock.

Detailed explanation-4: -Frost wedging is the process by which water seeps into cracks in a rock, expands on freezing, and thus enlarges the cracks (Figure 5.5). The effectiveness of frost wedging is related to the frequency of freezing and thawing.

Detailed explanation-5: -Freeze-thaw Weathering Liquid water seeps into existing cracks in the rock, freezes and then expands those cracks. What is this? This type of physical weathering is called freeze-thaw.