Mechanical Weathering Vocabulary 2023

The process by which rock is mechanically or physically broken down into smaller pieces. 

• Weathering

• Mechanical Weathering

• Erosion

• Tree Root Wedging

The wearing down of rocks by friction of water or wind.

• Abrasion

• weathering

• erosion

• frost wedging

The process in which roots grow into cracks in rocks and force the cracks open as they continue to grow. 

• tree root erosion

• mechanical weathering

• frost wedging

• tree root wedging

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

The breaking apart of rock due to pressure of water freezing in the cracks.

• root wedging

• frost erosion

• frost wedging

• root erosion

The process of breaking rocks into smaller pieces.

• weathering

• erosion

• abrasion

• deposition

The process of moving weathered rock from one place to another.

• weathering

• erosion

• abrasion

• sediment

the new placement of sediment after erosion has taken place.

• sediment

• abrasion

• deposition

• erosion

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

Small pieces of rock that have been broken down by the process of weathering.

• abrasion

• sediment

• deposition

• weathering

A natural resource that cannot be replaced easily and will run out someday.

• nonrenewable resource

• renewable resource

• toilet paper

• carbon dioxide

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS3-4

A natural resource that can be replaced easily or will never run out.

• renewable resource

• nonrenewable resource

• toilet paper

• fossil