Weathering — Science definition
Defined in 2 courses:
- Breakdown or alteration of material in place. (Science 6: Matter, Energy & Earth Systems)
- The breakdown of rock into smaller pieces in place, without being moved, caused by physical forces or chemical reactions. (Earth & Space Science)
Where it is taught
- Rocks, Weathering & the Rock Cycle — Earth Systems, Plates & Earth Materials, Science 6: Matter, Energy & Earth Systems, Grade 6
- Weathering, Erosion & Deposition — Rocks, Landscapes & Water, Earth & Space Science, Grade 9
In use
Weathering is the slow breaking-down of rock right where it sits — nothing is carried away yet, the rock is just being taken apart in place.
Weathering, Erosion & Deposition
Questions using weathering
Problem 1
- weathering: Breakdown or alteration of material in place.
- The rock cycle forces every rock through one fixed sequence.
- Metamorphism requires complete melting of the rock.
- One illustrative result establishes every real condition and needs no further evidence.
Answer and explanation
weathering: Breakdown or alteration of material in place.
Breakdown or alteration of material in place. Cooling forms igneous rock; weathering supplies loose fragments; erosion transports them; deposition makes sediment layers; cementation can form sedimentary rock. The original igneous rock could instead undergo metamorphism while solid, or later remelt. The sequence does not require every rock to follow these events or specify their duration.
Problem 2
- The rock cycle forces every rock through one fixed sequence.
- erosion: Transport of material by agents such as flowing water, wind, ice, or gravity.
- Metamorphism requires complete melting of the rock.
- One illustrative result establishes every real condition and needs no further evidence.
Answer and explanation
erosion: Transport of material by agents such as flowing water, wind, ice, or gravity.
Transport of material by agents such as flowing water, wind, ice, or gravity. Cooling forms igneous rock; weathering supplies loose fragments; erosion transports them; deposition makes sediment layers; cementation can form sedimentary rock. The original igneous rock could instead undergo metamorphism while solid, or later remelt. The sequence does not require every rock to follow these events or specify their duration.
Problem 3
- Metamorphism requires complete melting of the rock.
- The rock cycle forces every rock through one fixed sequence.
- weathering: Breakdown or alteration of material in place.
- Every classroom model reproduces reality exactly.
Answer and explanation
weathering: Breakdown or alteration of material in place.
Breakdown or alteration of material in place. Cooling forms igneous rock; weathering supplies loose fragments; erosion transports them; deposition makes sediment layers; cementation can form sedimentary rock. The original igneous rock could instead undergo metamorphism while solid, or later remelt. The sequence does not require every rock to follow these events or specify their duration.
Problem 4
Hints
Identify breakdown, movement and settling separately.
Answer and explanation
Physical weathering by freeze–thaw action, where freezing water expands in suitable conditions.