Large sheets of ice can cause erosion by moving the rocks beneath them. How can the rocks be weathered by ice?
2 answers:
Question:
Large sheets of ice can cause erosion by moving the rocks beneath them. How can the rocks be weathered by ice?
Answer:
D. Water gets into the cracks and expands as it freezes.
Explanation:
When water freezes, it expands. The ice then works as a wedge. It slowly widens the cracks and splits the rock. When ice melts, liquid water performs the act of erosion by carrying away the tiny rock fragments lost in the split.
Learn more:
The process is called freeze-thaw. 1st, liquid water gets into small holes or cracks in the rock (such as by rain or seawater splashing into them). 2nd, when the temperature drops this water will freeze into solid ice because ice occupies more room than water this state change puts pressure and tension on the surrounding rocks. 3rd, when the temperature increases again the ice will melt back into the water. It is this pressure increase and release that causes the rock to weather.
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