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WELCOME TO
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 TODAY’S CLASS IS ON:

WEATHERING
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 TYPES OF WEATHERING

🐍 PHYSICAL/ MECHANICAL WEATHERING

🐍 CHEMICAL WEATHERING

🐍 BIOLOGICAL/ BIOTIC WEATHERING

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 What is physical
weathering?
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Photo by Anna Stampfli on Unsplash

 Processes of Physical Weathering
1. FROST ACTION/ FREEZE- THAW/ FROST SHATTERING

2. PRESSURE RELEASE
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3. TEMPERATURE CHANGE
 What is FROST ACTION?

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 FROST ACTION
This form of weathering is also known as freeze- thaw
action.
It occurs in areas where the temperature fluctuates
around zero degrees Celsius for at least part of the
year.
Water may find its way into cracks and joints in the
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rock when the temperature rises above freezing.

 FROST ACTION
When the temperature dips below zero degrees
Celsius, the water freezes and expands, exerting
pressure on the rock and widening the cracks.
This process is repeated over and over until the
pressure exerted by the ice eventually shatters
the rock.
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 WHAT IS PRESSURE
RELEASE?

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 Pressure released may form joints
Rocks deep underground are parallel to the surface. Other
compressed by immense weight weathering processes widens these
of the rock on top of them. joints, until a layer of rock breaks
When these overlying rocks are away.
eroded away, the pressure is The process is called EXFOLIATION.
released and the rocks below
expand upwards, as if they were It has helped to shape the formation
‘breathing out”. This is called of the Pitons in St. Lucia.
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PRESSURE RELEASE.
 Temperature
change

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 This occurs in places which have a large daily
temperature range, such as the Sahara Desert. A
little known fact about deserts is that they are very
cold at night.
During the day, the high temperatures cause rocks
to expand slightly. During the night, the low
temperatures cause rocks to contract slightly.
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 Repeated expansion and contraction causes cracks to form
within the rocks and eventually they will begin to fall apart.

Some rocks such as granite, are made up of different

minerals. These mineral expands and contracts at different
rates causing the rock to break apart into granules.

This is called GRANULAR DISINTEGRATION

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Thank you!
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