What is mechanical process that breaks large masses of rocks into small fragments and kind of weathering is most active in desert?
The mechanical process that breaks large masses of rocks into small fragments is called physical weathering. Physical weathering is most active in the desert due to the extreme temperatures, which cause the rocks to expand and contract, causing them to crack and break apart.
Mechanical weathering breaks rock into smaller pieces. These smaller pieces are just like the bigger rock, just smaller. That means the rock has changed physically without changing its composition. Weathering is the mechanical and chemical hammer that breaks down and sculpts the rocks. Erosion transports the fragments away. Ice wedging, pressure release, plant root growth, and abrasion can all cause mechanical weathering. In the cracks and pores of rocks, the force of its expansion is strong enough to split the rocks apart. This process, which is called ice wedging, can break up huge boulders. The broken bits rock is sediments. Weathering also involves erosion and deposition. Erosion: These tiny bits, or sediments, can be moved around and transported by wind, water, and gravity. This is called erosion. Deposition: When the sediments are dropped in a new location, they are said to be deposited. If you hit a rock with a hammer, the rock may break into pieces. Some forces of weathering break rock into pieces, as a hammer does. The type of weathering in which rock is physically broken into smaller pieces is mechanical weathering. The desert surface is dominated by mechanical weathering processes. Rock fragments tend to be angular, rather than rounded. The desert surface is dominated by mechanical weathering processes. Rock fragments tend to be angular, rather than rounded. Physical forces in the desert that break down rocks include the daily heating and cooling of rocks on the surface, expansion of plant root in cracks, the freezing and melting of ice in cracks, and exposure to wind and precipitation. The absence of water in deserts means that little or no chemical weathering can take place. Instead, erosion, frost, sedimentation, and big temperature fluctuations between day and night break down the rocky surface into sand or gravel.