Mechanical or Physical Weathering Processes

A rock broken into smaller pieces is said to be physically or mechanically weathered.  It has a large exposed surface area which further increase its weathering potential. Rocks are broken and degraded by the mechanical action of water, ice, wind, plants and animals in a number of ways as described below. Temperature  has  an indirect effect in the weathering process. The variation in temperature actually results in mechanical way of weathering.