Physical Weathering
Compiled by Mark Francek (more info) at Carleton College (more info) (SERC) and Central Michigan University (more info)
Find animations dealing with physical weathering. There are also links for accessing images relating to physical weathering.
Surface Area vs. Size and Shape (more info) Outlines the increase in surface area that results from physical weathering. Students have the opportunity to calculate surface area increases for two different scenarios: when the shape of weathered blocks is cubical and when the shape of the block is plate-like.
Examples of Physical Weathering ( This site may be offline. ) A Flash annotated slide show of six examples of physical or mechanical weathering. Listed are three examples of frost wedging and three examples of root wedging. Clicking on each example yields a larger view.
USGS Photo Library Archive (more info) : A search using "weathering" yields over 130 images available in 100, 700, and 1400 dots per inch resolution. Detailed descriptions accompany each image. The photos range in age from 1868 through 1992. Many historic images are available taken by pioneer photographers at national parks.
