Weathering and Erosion – A Visit to Bryce Canyon National Park
Автор: Next Generation Science
Загружено: 2021-10-16
Просмотров: 13873
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Learn about weathering and rock formations by taking a virtual field trip to the amazing Bryce Canyon National Park.
Learn more about weathering and rocks on the ngscience.com science learning portal. There, you'll find interactive content, narrated texts and loads of science-related multimedia.
The rock formations in Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah, USA, are a great example of frost wedging in action. Each year the rocks are weathered by up to 200 cycles of the melting of ice and freezing of water. The weathering gives the rocks, called hoodoos, their chimney-like appearance.
Rocks and Weathering
Physical weathering occurs when rocks are broken down by forces. Examples of physical weathering include moving water, wind, the freezing and melting of water and the actions of organisms.
Moving water, such as the constant battering of coastal rocks by waves and the flow of water in rivers and streams, causes physical weathering. The contact between the water and the rocks slowly wears the rock, breaking it into small pieces.
River canyons are landforms caused by the weathering of the river bed and rock by the moving water of the river.
In cold climates, water enters the crevices and cracks in rocks. When the temperature cools, the water freezes. When water freezes into ice, its volume increases. The ice pushes against the sides of the crack and can often cause the rock to break into small pieces. This process is called frost wedging.
Wind also causes physical weathering, particularly in places with little vegetation. Wind is moving air. It also often contains particles such as sand and soil. When strong winds hit a rock, the particles slowly chip away at the rock, breaking it into smaller pieces.
Differences in temperature between night and day can cause physical weathering. Most materials expand as they heat up and contract, or get smaller, when they cool down.
During the day, the heat from the Sun causes rocks to heat up and expand. When the Sun sets and the temperature drops, the rocks contract. This expanding and contracting causes cracks in the rocks. Over time, those cracks get bigger and the rocks break into smaller pieces.
The growth of plants can cause physical weathering. The roots of a tree can break apart the sidewalk as the tree grows. This happens to rocks in nature too. Plant roots can grow in the cracks of rocks. As the plant grows and the roots get bigger, they push the sides of the cracks, breaking the rock into pieces.
Animals can also cause weathering when they walk or climb on rocks. This can break the rocks apart or give them a smooth surface.
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![Weathering, Erosion, and Deposition [Part 1]](https://ricktube.ru/thumbnail/ewj629B4Oe8/mqdefault.jpg)
