Can You Compare Chemical And Physical Weathering?

Weathering refers to the decomnposition of the various physical features of the Earth such as rocks, soil and the minerals found within them by water, air, ice and pressure. There are two types of weathering namely mechanical or physical weathering and chemical or biological weathering. Mechanical or physical weathering involves the breakdown of soil and rocks by atmospheric conditions such as heat, coild, wind and pressure. Chemical or biological weathering, on the other hand, refers to the disintegration or breakdown of soil, rocks and minerals by biologically produced chemicals. While both these forms of weathering work differently, they actually facilitate each other. For instance, the cracks that are caused by mechanical weathering increase the surface area, thereby exposing it to chemicals and helping chemical weathering.