Mechanical and Chemical Erosion

Mechanical and Chemical Erosion

Mechanical Erosion: Mechanical Erosion Is when a physical breakdown of an object into smaller components without changing its chemical composition.  For example if there is a big rock and then the mechanical erosion happens then the big rock breaks down into smaller pieces and smaller pieces until its sand or another type of soil. This process always happens near the surface of the planet and the temperature also affects the land. When there are cool nights and hot mornings have caused things to expand and contract. That little action can cause cracks into rocks to happen. Scientists observed that there is a process that is called freeze thaw that makes the rocks freeze and expand when water goes inside them. this cycle it gets repeated many times until the rocks break down. There is another type of mechanical weathering which is called salt wedging. When it rains the water flows everywhere, ant it usually contains salt dissolved in it. Then salt crystals are left over and those crystals form also in nature too. The water flows into the rocks and evaporates.Thats how the crystals begin to grow and they act like a wedge and crack the rocks.

Chemical Erosion: Chemical Erosion refers to a breakdown of an object into different particles with different minerals and compositions of the original one. Water is the powerful agent of chemical weathering: Over time it can dissolve into different rocks and into different chemicals that have a different substance than the original one. There are many more types of chemical erosion that involve  more complicated chemical reactions such as: Oxygen, Carbon Dioxide and water.
If the area of the object is really big then the more chemical reactions could happen. This reactions can happen In nature but you need moisture and heat. Reactions such as oxidation, hydrolysis and  acidification can happen if all of the substances are mixed together. Oxidation can make rocks softer.
Because there is a lot of iron in lots of rocks oxidation always happens.
Hydrolysis  causes rocks to expand and that is the thing before mechanical erosion can begin. These reactions happen all the time.
When you see rocks next to each other that are different colors that means that chemical reactions have took place there.