Weathering

Weathering is the disintegration or decay of rocks on the surface of the earth. There are three kinds of weathering: mechanical (which involves no chemical change to the rocks, e.g. by freeze/thaw action), chemical (where chemicals decompose the rock e.g. carbonation - see the Burren photographs) and biotic (where plants or animals produce the breaking down of the rocks e.g. by the action of roots). The action of plants in this photograph show the impact of biotic weathering.