Mechanical Weathering
Mechanical weathering is the breaking of larger rocks into smaller ones. The cool night and hot day temperatures expand and contract the rocks. This causes the rocks to crumble and break apart. Little burrowing animals help speed up this process. Another type of mechanical weathering is freeze wedging. Freeze wedging is the process where water gets inside the rocks through cracks and breaks. The water freezesand thaws out until the rock has completely fallen apart.