Freeze thaw weathering

Student tasks

1. Arrange the cards in the correct order

This continuous process

At night the temperature As the water freezes it
causes rocks to be broken
drops below 0°C expands.
up.

Cracks in the rocks get wet The ice thaws and

The cracks become wider.
and filled with water. contracts.

This cycle continues

The temperature rises
widening and enlarging the The water in cracks freezes.
above 0°C.
cracks.

© www.teachitgeography.co.uk 23734 Page 1 of 3

 Freeze thaw weathering

2. Draw a series of diagrams to illustrate the freeze thaw sequence.

3. Label the image below.

Freeze thaw weathering has shattered this large boulder on the

Isle of Skye, Scotland.
© John Allan 2007.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic Licence.
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/618629

© www.teachitgeography.co.uk 23734 Page 2 of 3


Teaching notes
One student’s answer:
1. A small crack in the
rock surface.
© www.teachitgeography.co.uk
2. Rain water enters cracks in 3. During the night the
the rocks during the day. temperature drops drastically.
The liquid water is turned into
a solid form: ice.
23734
Freeze thaw weathering
4. The ice expands by 9%,
causing pressure on the
rock and making the crack
bigger. During the day
the ice thaws. After many
such freeze thaw cycles
the rock fails and breaks.
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