Rapid weathering occurs in hot and wet climates. Cold, moderately dry climates experience intense mechanical weathering due to frost wedging. Cold, dry climates have very slow rates of rock weathering. Weathering the rate of weathering happens on mountains in the same way it does everywhere else. However, rocks at higher elevations are exposed to more wind, rain, and ice than the rocks at lower elevations are. This increase in wind, rain, and ice at higher elevations causes the peaks of mountains to weather faster. A warm, wet climate will produce the highest rate of weathering. The warmer a climate is, the more types of vegetation it will have and the greater the rate of biological weathering. This happens because plants and bacteria grow and multiply faster in warmer temperatures. Chemical weathering typically increases as temperatures rise and rain falls, which means rocks in hot and wet climates experience faster rates of chemical weathering than do rocks in cold, dry climates.

A cold, dry climate will produce the lowest rate of weathering. A warm, wet climate will produce the highest rate of weathering. The warmer a climate is, the more types of vegetation it will have and the greater the rate of biological weathering. The slowest rates of weathering occur in hot, dry climates. The lack of water limits many weathering processes, such as carbonation and ice wedging. Weathering is also slow in very cold climates. As a potent greenhouse gas, atmospheric carbon dioxide also traps heat from the sun. And a warmer Earth increases the rate of chemical weathering both by causing more rainfall and by speeding up the chemical reactions between rainwater and rock. High temperatures and greater rainfall increase the rate of chemical weathering and rocks in tropical regions exposed to abundant rainfall and hot temperatures weather much faster than similar rocks residing in cold, dry regions. Warmer temperatures promote faster reactions, so chemical weathering is more effective in warm climates. Thus, warm, humid climates tend to have the most rapid weathering.Chemical weathering occurs only in hot climates, and mechanical weathering occurs only in cold climates. Chemical weathering happens in place, while mechanical weathering involves the transport of rocks. The rate of weathering happens on mountains in the same way it does everywhere else. However, rocks at higher elevations are exposed to more wind, rain, and ice than the rocks at lower elevations are. This increase in wind, rain, and ice at higher elevations causes the peaks of mountains to weather faster. Weathering is more rapid in humid, tropical regions than in temperate regions. This is because tropical areas receive more rainfall, which encourages chemical weathering such as carbonation. Also, tropical areas are warmer, and the rate of chemical weathering doubles with every rise of 10°C.