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GCSE Geography · key term
Physical weathering in which water repeatedly freezes and expands in rock cracks, then thaws, gradually breaking the rock apart.
Used by AQA, Edexcel and OCR
Specification 3.1.3.4 · Paper 1
The breaking apart of rock through repeated freezing, expansion and thawing of water in cracks.
Revise: Glacial Processes and Landforms of ErosionFreeze-thaw weathering loosens rock around the hollow. Plucking removes rock from the back wall, making it steeper, while abrasion deepens the basin. Together, these processes enlarge the original hollow into a corrie.
Specification 1.2, 1.7, 1.11 · Paper 1
For freeze-thaw weathering, explain repeated freezing and thawing: one freeze does not usually split a rock.
Freeze–thaw weathering needs repeated freezing and thawing, not simply permanently cold conditions.
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Physical weathering in which water repeatedly freezes and expands in rock cracks, gradually breaking the rock apart.
Cold upland conditions encourage freeze–thaw weathering where temperatures repeatedly cross freezing point. Water enters cracks in rock, freezes and expands. Repeated freezing and thawing gradually widens the cracks until fragments break away.
The mechanical breakdown of rock when water repeatedly freezes and expands in cracks, then thaws.
Mechanical weathering in which water repeatedly freezes and expands in rock cracks, then thaws, eventually breaking the rock apart.
Paper 2
Revise: Physical Processes Shaping Upland and Lowland LandscapesUpland landscapes commonly have steep, rocky slopes, often developed on resistant rocks. Their colder conditions favour freeze–thaw weathering where temperatures repeatedly cross the freezing point.
Specification 3.2a · Paper 1, Paper 3
Rock breakdown caused by water repeatedly freezing and expanding in cracks, then thawing.
Revise: Geomorphic Processes: Weathering, Mass Movement, Erosion, Transport and DepositionAn important example is freeze–thaw weathering. Water enters cracks in rock. When the temperature falls below freezing, the water freezes and expands, putting pressure on the sides of the cracks.