Salt crystal growth weathering occurs when evaporation leaves behind mineral salts that crystallize within the cracks and pores of rock. The growing salt crystals push through and widen any opening they are in, causing the rock to weaken. Plants increase mechanical and chemical weathering. Plant roots may enter cracks in rock and break it apart. Plant debris may increase the amount of acid in water. The warmer and wetter a climate is, the more plants it will have.

Mechanical Weathering Mechanical weathering, also called physical weathering and disaggregation, causes rocks to crumble. Water, in either liquid or solid form, is often a key agent of mechanical weathering. For instance, liquid water can seep into cracks and crevices in rock. Salt crystallization occurs in coastal and desert regions when water evaporates, leaving salt crystals behind. As these crystals expand, they exert pressure on surrounding rock, eventually breaking the rock and leaving holes in the rock's surface. Chemical weathering describes the process of chemicals in rainwater making changes to the minerals in a rock. Carbon dioxide from the air is dissolved in rainwater, making it slightly acidic. A reaction can occur when the rainwater comes into contact with minerals in the rock, causing weathering. Saltwater collects in cracks in rocks and cliff faces; warm (er) temperatures evaporate the water and leave the salt crystals behind. The heat expands the crystals, exerting enormous pressure on the rock, causing it to disintegrate. This is the primary weathering that occurs in coastal areas. Evaporates are minerals that are made out of ions that can be found dissolved in water, usually seawater. When water evaporates, it leaves these ions behind, which assemble together into evaporate minerals. An important part of this process is the idea of solubility. Evaporates are layered crystalline sedimentary rocks that form from brines generated in areas where the amount of water lost by evaporation exceeds the total amount of water from rainfall and influx via rivers and streams. Efflorescence is a crystalline deposit of salts that can form when water is present in or on brick, concrete, stone, stucco or other building surfaces. It has a white or grayish tint and consists of salt deposits that remain on the surface after water evaporates. Crystallization occurs when the solution solvent evaporates, and the concentration of the solute reaches saturation point. At this stage, the solute begins to precipitate out of solution. Under the right conditions, generally slow evaporation and a clear solution, the solute will crystallize. Crystallization is the process of forming solid material from a liquid solution or melt, where the solid material formed has crystalline structure. Transpiration is basically evaporation of water from plant leaves. The transpiration accounts for about 10% of the moisture in the atmosphere, with oceans, seas, and other bodies of water providing nearly the entire remaining amount. When a solution is heated, the solvent evaporates, leaving behind the dissolved solids as residue. When a solution containing dissolved solutes is heated, the solvent will evaporate. Only the solute will remain in the evaporating dish.