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A cycle of freezing and thawing can break down any rock, no matter how big or heavy it is. If water gets into small cracks, then freezes, it will expand and push the rock crystals apart.

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How does ice cause the weathering of rocks?

When water in the ground freezes, the ice expands and breaks off very small amounts of rock. The ice causes abrasion of the rocks causing grooves and cracks. Water then enters these openings and freezes causing the rocks to break open, exposing more sides to the weather and continuing the breakdown.


What makes rocks on mountain tops weather faster than rocks in valleys?

Rocks on mountain tops are exposed to harsher weather conditions, such as wind, rain, and ice, which can break down the rocks more quickly through processes like frost wedging and erosion. Additionally, mountain rocks may experience larger temperature variations, leading to thermal stress that can contribute to faster weathering.


How does ice effect rocks?

When there is a crack in a rocks,the rainwater stucks there and overnight it turns into ice which day by day it expands and breaks the rocks.this is the damage ice do to rocks.... Love facebook....


Does heat and metamorphism cause rock to weather and erode?

Heat and metamorphism do not directly cause rocks to weather and erode. Weathering and erosion are primarily driven by physical processes like water, wind, and ice acting on rocks at the Earth's surface. However, heat and metamorphism can alter the mineral and chemical composition of rocks, potentially making them more susceptible to weathering and erosion over time.


What occurs when water seeps into the cracks of rocks and then freezes?

Water expands when it freezes, therefore it tends to cause the rocks to crack (or perhaps I should say, it causes existing cracks to get larger, leading to the disintegration of the rock).


How can ice weather a rock?

In one way (ice wedging), water gets into cracks in the rock, then freezes. This force can eventually split the rock crystals. In another (moving ice), a glacier or other large mass of ice moves across the rocks surface. This can scour away loose rock by friction. (It does not require that there be imbedded rocks, but this can also occur, where rocks are pushed together until one breaks.)


Which is denser regular ice or ice with rocks in it?

Ice with rocks in it.


What is a chemical or physical process in which rocks exposed to the weather are worn down by water wind or ice?

Weathering is the process in which rocks are broken down into smaller pieces by the action of water, wind, or ice. This can occur through mechanical weathering, where physical forces like pressure or temperature changes break rocks apart, or chemical weathering, where the chemical composition of rocks is altered by things like water or air.


Does the moons orbit cause ice storms?

Not specifically. The Moon's gravity does cause Earth's tides, and tides do affect the weather, but weather is more of a local phenomenon.


What can cause rock to weather?

by wind,rain,ice,chemical actions,plants,etc.


Wind and ice cause what sort of change in rocks?

Wind and ice can cause physical weathering in rocks by breaking them apart through processes like freeze-thaw cycles and abrasion. Over time, this can lead to the formation of cracks, fractures, and eventually the breakdown of rocks into smaller pieces.


How ice can weather rock?

In one way (ice wedging), water gets into cracks in the rock, then freezes. This force can eventually split the rock crystals. In another (moving ice), a glacier or other large mass of ice moves across the rocks surface. This can scour away loose rock by friction. (It does not require that there be imbedded rocks, but this can also occur, where rocks are pushed together until one breaks.)