MadSci Network: Earth Sciences |
Vicky, Thanks for the question. I think you can answer it yourself if you think about the difference between chemical weathering and physical weathering. A chemical change means that some molecules exchange or rearrange their atoms. The new molecules that result generally have different properties than the molecules present before the chemical change. Physical weathering means that some mechanical force acts to break apart whatever is being weathered. For chemical weathering in the situation you describe, the water or ice and the rock would both need to change chemically, so both would be different after the weathering takes place. For physical weathering in the situation you describe, the water or ice would need to exert a physical force on the rock to break it up. I hope that this helps you decide. Best Regards, Everett
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