Weathering

Weathering describes the breaking down or dissolving of rocks and minerals on the surface of the Earth.
Water, ice, acids, salts, plants, animals, and changes in temperature are all agents of
weathering.Weathering describes the breaking down or dissolving of rocks and minerals on the surface
of the Earth. Water, ice, acids, salts, plants, animals, and changes in temperature are all agents of
weathering. Once a rock has been broken down, a process called erosion transports the bits of rock and
mineral away. No rock on Earth is hard enough to resist the forces of weathering and erosion. Together,
these processes carved landmarks such as the Grand Canyon, in the U.S. state of Arizona. This massive
canyon is 446 kilometers (277 miles) long, as much as 29 kilometers (18 miles) wide, and 1,600 meters (1
mile) deep.