Weathering
Weathering may be defined as the disintegration or decomposition of rocks in situ. In contrast with metamorphic processes, weathering takes place within the range of temperatures found at and near the earth's surface. A rock undergoing weathering is not static; on the contrary, in certain weathering processes some minerals and elements are lost, others gained, and yet others redeposited at another level at the same site. There is considerable movement of material beneath the ground surface. But the main mass of the rock remains in situ and is not transported.
Many weathering processes are known in outline and in theory, but in many instances what actually takes place in nature is obscure. It is in any case rather unreal to define and explain most weathering processes in isolation, for several processes commonly combine to cause rock weathering, of which two general types are recognized. Physical (or mechanical) weathering involves rock disintegration, without any alteration of the...
References
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