Weathering and Denudation — Flashcards

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Weathering is the disintegration and decomposition of rocks where they exist. It is a static process because the rocks break down in the same place without being moved away. Weathering is important be…

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Denudation is the long-term wearing away of the Earth's surface. It reduces elevation and relief of landforms and is a dynamic process because it involves movement of material. Its four phases are wea…

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Weathering breaks rocks where they exist and does not involve movement, so it is static. Denudation is dynamic and includes weathering, erosion, transportation, and deposition. Weathering is only one …

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The three main types are physical or mechanical weathering, chemical weathering, and biological weathering. Physical weathering breaks rocks without changing their composition, chemical weathering cha…

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Physical weathering breaks rocks into smaller pieces but does not change the composition of the rock. Chemical weathering changes the composition of the rock minerals by chemical action. Physical weat…

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Exfoliation is a type of physical weathering caused by changes in temperature. Rock surfaces expand and contract, so the outer layers peel off. This can round off rectangular rock blocks by splitting …

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Water enters cracks in rocks and freezes. When it freezes, it expands and widens the cracks. Repeated freezing and thawing break the rocks apart. Frost is most common as a weathering agent in temperat…

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Block disintegration is physical weathering in which rocks split along joints into large rectangular blocks because of temperature change. It is common in well-jointed rocks such as granite, including…