Agents

 of  Weathering  
What  causes  weathering?  

Dynamic  Earth  
Chapter  1    
Lesson  2  
Physical  Weathering    
 Temperature Change

DEFINITION: When temperature increases or decreases

CAUSE: How far we are away from the sun.
Physical because rock weakens and crumbles from pressure/stress caused
by temperature change.
We chose this picture because it is an example of ice wedging because it is
when water freezes, and expands, breaking the rock.
It interacts with the earth by freezing the hydro and atmosphere.
 Temperature    Change  
•  Temperature  change  is  when  the  
temperature  changes  its  causes  the  
rock  to  weather.  
•  One  example  of  this  is  ice  (frost)  
wedging.  Ice  wedging  is  caused  because  
water  goes  into  cracks  and  when  the  
water  freezes,  the  ice  expands  and  
causes  a  bigger  crack  in  the  rock  as  seen  
in  the  picture  on  the  right.  
•  Temperature  change  is  physical   •  Temperature  change  interacts  with  
weathering.   Earth’s  spheres  by  interacJng  with  the  
•  We    chose  this  image  as  an  example   geosphere,  cryosphere,  and  
because  it  showed  the  cracks  in  the   hydrosphere.  
rock  clearly.  
 Temperature  Change  

•  Temperature  Change  is  when  rocks  

•  break  apart  due  to  the  change  in  
•  Temperature.  This  is  an  example  of  
•  Physical  weathering.  This  image  shows  
•  Ice  wedging,  an  example  of  
•  Temperature  Change.  Ice  wedging  is  when  
water  
•  seeps  into  previous  (smaller)  cracks,  freezes,  
and  expands  the  rocks  apart.  Because  of  
•  these  cracks,  water  can  keep  seeping  in  and  
expanding.  Also,  when  the  cracks  are  big  
•  enough,  ant  colonies/smaller  living  things  
can  nest  and  live  in  these  cracks.          
Temperature  Change  
 Various  changes  in  temperature    can  
cause  rocks  to  fall  or  break  apart.    
Temp  Change  is  an  example  of  Physical  
Weathering.    This  interacts  with  the  
geosphere  because  temp  change  
causes  rocks  to  break  apart.  Temp  
change  happens  when  the  
temperature  various.  
 Water  Weathering  
•  The  Grand  Canon  is  carved  by  water    over  millions  of    years.  This  
is  physical  weathering  because  the  only  thing  that  changed  is  that  
the  water  weathered  the  rock  so  it  is  like  a  huge  valley.  we  chose  
this  image  because  it  was  formed  by  a  river,  that    carved  the    rock  
into  the    Great  Canon  .  Water  (hydrosphere)    carves      rock  
(geosphere)  over  Jme.                                                          
 Water  (Abrasion):  Abrasion  is  the  breaking  down  and  wearing  
away  of  rock  material  by  the  mechanical  acJon  of  other  rock.  

physical  
Abrasion  is  a  form  of  
e ri n g.     W e   c h o se   t h is  picture  
weath
water  and  the  
because  it  shows  the  
  t o ge th e r,   w it h   s o m e  rough  
rock
  a n d   s o m e   s m o o th   p arts  in  the  
parts
and  the  
rock.    The  geosphere  
cJng  
hydrosphere  are  intera
rosphere  
because  when  the  hyd
er,  the  rocks  
(water)  is  moving  wat
e o sp h e re )   c an   b e co me  rounded  
(g
o th .     A ls o ,   r o ck s   c an  tumble  
or  sm o
sion.    
in  water  causing  abra
Abrasion    
These  pictures  show  abrasion  
in  three  different  ways;  rock  
against  rock,  wind,  and  water.  
These  forms  of  abrasion  have  
happened  over  a  long  period  
of  Jme.    

             
h3p://0.tqn.com/d/geology/1/0/6/Y/1/riverrocks.jpg  
Abrasion  
Weathering  of  rocks  caused  by  rocks  rubbing  together  
Physical  weathering.  
This  image  shows  how  rocks  get  rounded  the  more  and  the  longer  they  rub  
together.  
Hydrosphere  and  geosphere  are  at  work  in  abrasion  of  rocks.  Wind,  rain  and  
even  earthquakes  work  to  keep  rocks  rubbing  together  over  Jme.    

Andrew  Donohue    Crews  8/9B  10-­‐14-­‐13  

Water  Weathering  
The  cause  of  this  is  water.  The  
definiJon  of  the  cause  is  when  water  
moves  it  tumbles  the  rocks  and  they  
rub  against  each  other.  This  is  physical  
weathering  because  even  when  the  
rocks  rub  together  it  is  sJll  rock.  We  
chose  this  picture  because  it  shows  the  
effects  of  water  weathering  best.  This  
kind  of  weathering  interacts  with  
Earth’s  spheres  because  the  
hydrosphere  is  interacJng  with  the  
atmosphere  and  geosphere.  The  
atmosphere  got  the  water  moving  and  
the  geosphere  is  what  the  weathering  
happened  to.  

h\p://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/
commons/f/fc/YehliuTaiwan-­‐
HoneycombWeathering.jpg  
 Wind Weathering
Wind  Weathering  means  when  wind  li_s  and  carries  small  parJcles.  This  is  also  known  as  abrasion.  This  is  when  
wind  peels  away  rock  making  large  hills  of  rock.  This  is  physical  weathering  because  there  are  no  chemical  
involved  in  the  wind  or  rock.  Which  is  breaking  down  the  rock.  Not  changing.  Or  adding  a  substance  to  the  rock.  
We  chose  this  picture  because  we  thought  that  it  showed  a  good  example  of  wind  weathering  changing  the  form  
of  rock.  The  spheres  involved  are  geosphere  and  atmosphere  because  the  wind  from  the  atmosphere  is  peeling  
away  the  rock  from  the  geosphere.  
       By  Kellan  duan,  and  Luke  Strand          10/7/13    Y  
 WIND  WEATHERING  
By  Cassius  Charak  
10/8/13  
8/9  B  Green  

h\p://www.passmyexams.co.uk/GCSE/physics/what-­‐is-­‐weathering.html  

Wind  li_s  and  carries  parJcles  that  crash  against  the  ground  which  weathers  rocks  away.  It  is  physical  weathering  

I  chose  this  image  because  it  shows  how  mulJple  crossing  wind  pa\erns  pulled  sand  in  different  direcJons  to  make  these  amazing  
formaJons.  

This  interacts  with  the  other  spheres:  

•   geosphere-­‐the  wind  pushes  the  rocks  into  other  rocks  which  weathers  them  down  
•   hydrosphere-­‐the  wind  pushes  the  water  onto  the  beach  which  erodes  the  rocks  on  the  beach  to  create  sand  
•   biosphere-­‐the  wind  forces  the  animals  down  to  burrow  for  warmth  and  when  they  dig,  the  rocks  and  soil  move  upward      
 weathering  the  rocks.    
•   cryosphere-­‐wind  decreases  the  temperature  which  freezes  the  water  in  cracks  making  the  cracks  bigger    
•   atmosphere-­‐  wind  li_s  and  carries  parJcles  that  crash  against  the  ground  which  weathers  rocks  away.  
 Wind  
     Rock  can  be  broken  down  by  the  acJon  of  other  rocks  over  
Jme.  
 Abrasion  is  the  breaking  down  and  wearing  away  of  
rock  material  by  the  mechanical  acJon  of  other  rocks.  Three  
agents  of  physical  weathering  that  can  cause  abrasion  are  
moving  water,  wind  and  gravity.  Also  Rocks  suspended  in  the  
ice  of  a  glacier  can  cause  abrasion  of  other  rock  on  earths  
surface.    
 And  moving  water  rocks  can  become  rounded  and  
smooth.  Abrasion  occurs  as  rocks  are  tumble  in  water  hieng  
other  rocks.  Wind  abrasion  occurs  when  wind  li_s  and  carries  
small  parJcles  in  the  air.    
The  small  parJcles  can  blast  away  as  surfaces  and  slowly  
wears  them  away.  During  a  landslide  large  rocks  can  fall  from  
higher  up  a  slope  and  break  more  rocks  below  causing  
abrasion.    
 Pressure

Wea#e$ng Ro
ck
c a u s ed by
is
e a t h ering n on the
ur e w do w
Press ure pushing o break.
s tt
a pres d causing i when the
n is d it
rock a re Change changes an n
u a
Press e on a rock change is
ur ssure athering.
press . P r e
expos
es i t
h y s ic al we n
le of p ge as
a
examp e this ima e think it
os w the
We ch e because ng away of
l li
examp es the pee kind of
a t is ’s
illustr y well. Th with Earth
er ts d
rock v ing interac osphere an
er the Ge the
weath w i th
es For peel
Spher osphere. l o w l y
tm ks s
the A ere, the roc xfoliation.
h rE
Geosp er away o e, the air
th r eak
each o Atmosphe d it can br
he an
With t e changes
ur
press ks.
c
the ro
Pressure  Change    The  definiJon  of  
pressure  change  is  “When  
the  rock  expands  because  
of  overlying  materials  are  
removed  above  the  rock”

 This  type  of  

weathering  is  Physical  
Weathering.  
 We  chose  this  image  
because  it  has  a  great  
example  of  Pressure  
Change.  
 This  kind  of  
weathering  interacts  with  
earth’s  spheres  because  
the  Geosphere  is  rock.      
          Pressure  Changes    

The  cause  of  this  magnificent  rock  and  scienJfic  breakthrough  is  a  pressure  change    in  the  most  outer  layer  of  
the  rock…The  applicaJon  of  conJnuous  force  by  one  body  on  another  that  it  is  touching.  
It  was  formed  by  physical  weathering.  We  chose  this  picture  because  this  was  a  mind  bustlingly  beauJful    
photograph.  
This  interacts  with  the  earths  spheres  because  the  geo-­‐spheres  rocks  gets  more  exposed  to  weathering  from  
other  spheres  .  Also  the  bio-­‐spheres  plants  are  growing  in  the  cracks  and  slowly  expanding  it  unJl  it  breaks  off.  
Another  sphere  is  the  hydro-­‐sphere  and  cry-­‐sphere  because  when  it  rains  the  water  gets  into  the  cracks  and  then  
freezes  into    ice  while  expanding  the  
cracks.  
Pressure Change
Exfoliation is the process by which the
outer layer of rock slowly peel away
due to pressure change. As overlying
materials are removed above the rock,
the pressure decreases. As a result,
the rock expands, causing the
outermost layers of rock to separate
underlying layer.
 ExfoliaGon  Weathering  Rock  
ExfoliaJon:  The  outer  layer  of  rock  slowly  peels  away  due  to  pressure  
changes  
ExfoliaJon  is  physical  weathering.  This  is  physical  because  the  weathering  is  
not  caused  by  chemicals.    We  chose  this  picture  as  an  example  because  it  
shows  the  result  of  exfoliaJon.    Animals  from  the  biosphere  create  some  
pressure  when  they  walk  over  rocks,  but  most  pressure  comes  from  gravity  
and  the  weight  of  layered  rocks.  

h\p://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/Weathering_9039.jpg    
 •  Animals  dig  burrows  
 Animal  AcGons  
exposing  rock  to  other  
kinds  of  weathering.  This  
acJon  is  physical    
weathering.  We  choose  
this  image  because  it  show  
an  animal  burrowing  and  
exposing  rock.  This  kind  of  
weathering  interacts  with  
other  spheres  by  messing  
up  the  geosphere,  etc.      
Animal  acJon  

Animal  acJon  is  physical  

erosion  by  animals.  Some  
animals  dig  burrows  into  the  
ground,  allowing  more  rock  to  
be  exposed  and  new  rocks  get  
exposed.  A_er  this  process  
happens  the  rock  is  weathered  
easier.  We  also  chose  this  
picture  is  because  its  animal  
burrowing.  
Animal  AcJon        
Animal  weathering  is  the  breaking  
apart  of  rock  caused  by  animals.  It  can  
be  caused  by  rabbits  burrowing  or  
humans  mining.  It  is  a  form  of  physical  
weathering  because  it  does  not  change  
the  form  of  the  rock.  
       This  picture  shows  an  example  of  
physical  weathering  specifically  by  
humans  mining  for  rock  and  breaking  
through  other  rocks  to  get  to  the  rock  
they  may  be  specifically  looking  for.    
Plant  Growth  
•  When  a  plant  grows  through  
a  rock  braking  it  apart.  
•  Plant  growth  is  physical  
because  it  grows  with  
temperature  and  pressure.  
•  We  chose  this  image  because  
this  image  shows  where  the  
plants  cracked  the  rock  and  
where  it’s  growing  out.  
•  The  biosphere  and  
geosphere  are  shown  
because  the  plant  
(biosphere)  is  growing  and  
through  the  rock  (geosphere)  
which  needs  oxygen  
(atmosphere)  to  live.      
 Plant  growth    
Plant  growth-­‐  Plant  
growth  is  when  a  plant  
grows  up  into  a  rock  
and  cracks  it.  
The  cause-­‐  As  the  
plant  gets  bigger  so  do  
its  roots.  The  larger  
the  roots  grow,  the  
more  pressure  it  puts  
Plant  growth  
on  the  rock  witch  
interacts  with  
causes  it  to  expand  
the  geosphere  
and  eventually  crack.  
and  the  
Plant  growth  is    
biosphere  
physical  weathering.  
because  the  
We  choose  this  picture  
biosphere  is  the  
because  it  shows  the  
plant  that  grows  
crack  in  the  side  walk  
and  the  
and  the  tree  roots  
geosphere  is  the  
coming  up.  
rock  it  grows  
into.      
 This  type  of  weathering  is  
physical  because  if  the  rock  
Plant  Weathering   breaks  apart,  the  rock  is  sJll  
a  rock  it  did  not  change  the  
Plant  Weathering  is  where  Jny   composiJon  of  the  rock.  
plants  grow  inside  cracks  of  rocks.  
The  larger  the  root  grows,  the   This  kind  of  weathering  
more  pressure  it  puts  on  the  rock.   interacts  with  all  of  the  
More  pressure  causes  the  rock  to   spheres  because  in  order  
expand.  Eventually  the  rock  will   for  the  plant  to  grow  the  
break  apart.     rock  needed  to  have  cracks  
In  order  for  the  plant  to   in  it  already  and  the  cracks  
grow  it  also  needs  the   could  be  made  by  ice  
Hydrosphere  to  weather   wedging.    
the  rock.  The  Geosphere  
has  to  do  with  plant   The  Atmosphere  interacts  
weathering  because  the   with  plant  weathering  
plant  weathers  the  rock   because  it  needs  carbon  
and  the  rock  is  part  of   dioxide  to  live  and  grow.  
the  Geosphere.   Plant  weathering  also  
interacts  with  the  
We  chose  this  image  to  represent  Plant  Weathering  because  it   biosphere  because  the  
shows  how  the  plant  weathers  the  rock  and  how  it  expands   plant  is  a  part  of  the  
the  crack  in  the  rock.   biosphere.  
 Plant  
Growth  

The  cause  of  plant  growth  is  small  plants  growing  in  cracks  and  
then  slowly  geeng  bigger  causing  rocks  to  crack.  This  is  physical  
weathering  because  there  is  no  change  in  the  rock  other  than  
breaking.  I  chose  these  pictures  because  in  the  first  one  you  can  
see  the  tree  in  he  rock  and  the  second  one  because  it  is  a  side  walk  
and  you  see  it  every  day.  This  kind  of  weathering  is  caused  by  the  
bio  sphere  and  happens    to  the  geo  sphere.      
 Plant  growth  
•  Plant  growth-­‐  Plant    growth  is  
when  a  plant    grows  up  into  a  
rock    and  cracks  it.  The  cause-­‐  As  
the    plant  gets  bigger  so    do  its  
roots.  The  larger    the  roots  grow,  
the    more  pressure  it  puts    on  the  
rock  witch    causes  it  to  expand    
and  eventually  crack.  Plant  
growth  is    physical  weathering.  
We  choose  this  picture  because  it    
shows  the  crack  in  the    side  walk  
and  the  tree    roots  coming  up    
•  Plant  growth    interacts  with    the  
geosphere    and  the    biosphere    
because  the    biosphere  is  the  
plant  that  grows  and  the  
geosphere  is  the  rock  it  
   GRAVITY  
DefiniJon:  is  the  breaking  down  of  rock  material.  
It  is  physical  weathering  

We  chose  this  because  we  thought  it  showed  the  force  of  gravity.      

This  kind  of  weathering  interacts  with  weathering  when  one  rock  falls  
on  another  rock    it  breaks  it      
Chemical  Weathering  
ReacGons  with  Oxygen  
Oxides  are  made  when  compounds  in  rock  react  with  oxygen  in  the  air.                        
Its  definiJon  is  “ The  process  by  which  other  chemicals  combine  with  
oxygen”.  It  is  an  example  of  chemical  weathering.  We  chose  this  picture  
as  an  example  because  it  shows  what  happens  when  iron  reacts  with  
oxygen.  This  shows  the  atmosphere  reacJng  with  the  geosphere.  
Picture  found  at:  blogs.mcgill.ca                
 Rust  on  a  Bus  
OxidaGon  
This  is  an  example  of  oxidaJon,  
because  iron  reacted  with  oxygen  to  
cause  an  oxide  -­‐  rust.  This  is  an  
example  of  chemical  weathering.  

 This  is  a  picture  of  oxidaJon  on  a  bus  

outside  of  school.  Over    Jme  the  
oxygen  reacted  with  the  metal  of  the  
bus  and  which  causes  rust  to  form.  
 Reactions With Oxygen

Cause:  Oxygen  reacJng  with  materials  in  rock   h\p://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/gateway-­‐arch-­‐

DefiniJon:  Oxygen  reacJng  with  materials  in  rock    to  create   showing-­‐rust-­‐and-­‐decay/arJcle_75095ba4-­‐2d7d-­‐5811-­‐b4f9-­‐
oxides.   a7ce769ddb0d.html  
Weathering  type:  Chemical   h\p://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=h\p://
Spheres:  Atmosphere  reacts  with  Geosphere  to  change   upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/
Geosphere.   Weathering_9039.jpg&imgrefurl=h\p://  
 h\p://222503.wikispaces.com/Unit+5  

ReacGons  with  Oxygen  

•   Oxygen  is  a  mysterious  chemical,                        

when  it  reacts  with  other  materials  it  
can  change  that  material.  
•     When  oxygen  combines  with  
another  substance  it  is  called  oxidaJon  
and  these  substances  are  called  oxides.  
•   This  is  chemical  weathering  because  
it  creates  a  new  substance/material.  
•   We  chose  this  image  because  it  is  a  
great  example  of  iron  oxidaJon,  you  
can  clearly  see  the  color  change  in  the  
rock.  
• This  kind  of  weathering  interacts  with  
geo,  hydro,  and  atmospheres  because  
it  includes  oxygen  from  the  air  and  you  
can  find  oxygen  in  the  water.  And  most  
materials  are  made  of  rock.  
 Acid  PrecipitaJon  
             Acid  precipitaJon  is  when  rain  that  is  
naturally  acidic,  but  then  combines  
with  other  chemicals  in  the  
atmosphere,  falls  to  earth.  This  is  a  
form  of  chemical  weathering,  or  
when  some  kind  of  chemical  reacJon  
takes  place.  We  know  this  because  
the  acid  in  the  rain  causes  rock  to  
break  down  and  change  composiJon.  
We  chose  this  image  as  an  example  
because  it  shows  two  different  rocks  
from  when  it  was  new,  to  now.  As  you  
you  can  see,  it  has  already  started  to  
weather,  even  though  it  hasn’t  been  
very  long.  This  type  of  weathering  has  
h\p://www.whaJschemistry.unina.it/en/martmarmo.html   to  do  with  the  hydrosphere  (the  rain)  
the  atmosphere  (clouds)  and  the  
geosphere  (the  rocks  that  are  geeng  
weathered.              
Acid  
PrecipitaGon  
Acid  precipitaJon  is  when  natural  
gases  and  fossil  fuels  are  burned  and  
combine  with  water  to  make  acids.  
When  these    stronger  acids  fall  its  
called  acid  precipitaJon.    

Acids  in  the  atmosphere  are  created  

when  the  chemicals  combine  with  
water  in  the  air  and  then  fall  to  Earth  
on  rock  that  reacts  with  the  acids  –  like  
limestone  and  dolomite.    It  is  chemical  
weathering.    

We  chose  this  image  because  it  shows  

the  breakdown  of  rock  materials.  This  
interacts  with  the  Earth  because  the  
Geosphere  and  the  Hydrosphere  are  
interacJng  with  each  other.  
 Acid  PrecipitaGon  Weathering  Of  Rock  

Acid  precipitaJon  is  when  acidic  rain  breaks  down  rocks.  This  is  an  example  of  
physical  weathering.  We  chose  this  example  because  it  shows  where  the  rain  
hit,  causing  it  to  make  li\le  dents  in  the  rock.  Acid  precipitaJon  interacts  with  
the  hydrosphere  because  rain  is  water.    
Acid  precipitaGon  
Acid  precipitaJon  is  acid  rain.  Acid  rain  
is  what  it  sounds  like,  acid  in  rain.  Acid  
rain  forms  by  it  raining  and  the  water  
evaporaJng  and  going  back  up  to  the  
sky  and  it  rains…acid  rain.  I  know  acid  
rain  sounds  like  it  would  burn  your  
body  and  you  would  die,  but  it’s  not.  
It’s  just  regular  rain.  It  only  has  very  
li\le  acid  in  it.    Acid  rain  can  reduce  
rock  to  this                                                                                    -­‐-­‐>                                                                      
 Groundwater  Acid  
Cause:  As  groundwater  moves  
through  spaces  or  cracks  in  rock,  
acids  in  the  water  can  cause  rocks  to  
dissolve.    

Physical  or  Chemical?  

It  is  chemical  because…  A  chemical  
reacJon  has  occurred.  

Brooke  Becker  
Ruby  Gallegos  
        sciencerocksav.webs.com                
 CAUSE-­‐  Groundwater  acids  
 DEFINITION-­‐    Water  that  is  in  the  ground  from  acid  precipitaJon  
               CHEMICAL  WEATHERING  
               This  is  a  GOOD  example  because  it  show  the  stalacJtes  and  stalagmites  
 that  are    formed  because  of  groundwater  acids  
 The  hydrosphere  and  the  cryosphere  are  reacJng  with  the  geosphere  
 and  the  biosphere  when  groundwater  acid  seeps  through  the  ground  
 a_er  acid  precipitaJon.                                              
ReacJons  with  acids  in  groundwater  

•  Water  flowing  through  the  

ground  from  the  rain,  
carries  acids  which  dissolve  
rock  forming  caves.    Some  
minerals  are  carried  with  
the  water  and  deposits  as    
stalagmites  and/or  
stalacJtes.  
Acid  Weathering  in  Living  Things  
The  cause  is  acids  in  living  things.    The  definiJon  of  that  is  as  living  things  grow  on  
rocks  they  produce  weak  acids  that  can  weather  the  rocks’  surface.    This  is  
chemical  weathering  because  acids  are  a  type  of  chemicals.  We  chose  this  image  
because  the  lichen  color  stands  out,  and  it  shows  the  details  of  the  lichen,  and  also  
it  shows  some  very  noJceable  cracks  caused  by  the  lichen  growing  on  the  rock.    
This  interacts  with  Earth’s  spheres  because  it  affects  the  surface  of  rocks  on  Earth,  
which  is  the  geosphere.  
 Acids  From  Living  Things  
•  Moss-­‐a  plant  kind  of  like  fungi,  that  grows  in  
damp  areas.  Mosses  release  a  
•  weak  acid  that,  over  a  great  amount  of  Gme,  
weathers  down  the  rock  or  tree  it  
•  has  lived  on  for  that  Gme  period.  
•  cause-­‐  moisture  ferGlizes  the  spores  released  
by  other  mosses.  
•  Chemical-­‐  this  agent  of  weathering  is  chemical  
because  it  relates  to  an  acid,  
•  creaGng  a  chemical  reacGon.  However,  this  
agent  isn’t  as  powerful  as  say,  
•  water,  it  can  amount  to  a  lot  of  change  over  
Gme.  
•  I  chose  this  photo  because  it  was  on  a  rock,  it  
didn’t  seem  so  arGficial,  and  it  
•  was  a  calming  color.  :)  
•  Spheres-­‐  it  interacts  with  the  spheres  because  
it  lives  on  the  geo  
•  and  biosphere,  and  it  breaks  down  the  
geosphere.  
h3p://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
File:Broom_moss_(Orphan_Lk)_2.JPG  
Biological  Weathering  

• Biological  weathering  is  weathering  

caused  by  plants  and  animals.  
• Living  things  can  cause  weathering  when  
animals    burrow  and  when  plant  roots  
grow.  Humans  can  also  cause  weathering  
when  we  walk.  These  are  examples  of  
physical  weathering.    
• Lichens  and  moss  can  grow  on  rocks.  The  
lichens  produce  chemicals  that  break  
down  the  rock.  This  is  an  example  of  
chemical  weathering.  
• We  chose  this  image  as  an  example  
because  it  shows  lichens  and  moss  
breaking  down  a  rock.  
• It  interacts  with  the  geosphere  when  a  
plant’s  roots  break  into  a  rock.  It  interacts  
with  the  hydrosphere  because  plants  
need  water  to  grow  and  break  rock.  It  
interacts  with  the  biosphere  because  
plants  and  animals  are  the  biosphere.  It   h\p://www.buffelskloof.info/images/Lichen%208.JPG  
interacts  with  the  cryosphere  when  
animals  break  ice.  It  interacts  with  the  
atmosphere  because  animals  need  to  
breath  to  survive.