Weathering

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/weathering

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the primary classification?Physical (mechanical) and Chemical weathering
2. What is the earth system linkages?Crucial role in the carbon cycle, nutrient cycling, and climate regulation
3. What is weathering and why does it happen to rocks?Weathering is when rocks break down or change at the Earth's surface. It happens because of physical forces, chemical reactions, and living things that slowly wear the rocks apart.
4. How does cold weather turn rocks into pieces?In cold places, water can freeze inside cracks, expand, and push the rock apart. This freeze‑thaw cycle is called frost wedging and it breaks rocks into smaller pieces.

Regolith: The layer of unconsolidated solid material on the Earth's surface, consisting of weathered rock and soil.
Hydrolysis: A chemical reaction where water breaks down a compound, often altering mineral structures.
Carbonation: The process where carbonate minerals react with carbonic acid, commonly leading to dissolution.
Exfoliation: The process where rock layers peel off in curved sheets, often due to pressure release.