is chemical weathering the same as physical weathering?

Question

if not what is physical weathering?

Answer 1

Nope.

Physical weathering is breaking down by physical means. Erosion, waves crashing against a cliff, breaking apart from ice, etc.

Chemical weathering on the other hand, is caused by chemicals. Acids from animals, etc.

Answer 2

Physical weathering; the physical disintegration of a substance into smaller fragments of the same substance.
Chemical weathering; the chemical breakdown of substances into other fragments.
Therefore chemical is not the same as physical weathering. Physical weathering is where something is forcefully broken down by Hydraulic Action (sheer force of the waves,) Attrition (fragments hitting eachother,) Abrasion (finer particles in solution wear away other rocks.) These are more common with erosion but is still form of physical disintegration. A common example is where a bedding plane is weakened. Gravity then forces a lump of rock to drop downslope, it breaks up into smaller pieces called scree.

Answer 3

NO ..

Physical (mechanical) weathering:

Mechanical weathering is a cause of the disintegration of rocks or wood. Most of the times it produces smaller angular fragments (like scree), as compared to chemical weathering. However, chemical and physical weathering often go hand in hand. An example, cracks exploited by mechanical weathering will increase the surface area exposed to chemical action. Furthermore, the chemical action at minerals in cracks can aid the disintegration process.



for more see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weathering

Answer 4

Think, if they were the same thing they would be called by synonyms and they are not. Chemical is not a synonym of physical. Physical weathering is weathering due to physical aspetcs of nature: water, ice, gravity, plants, animals, wind, ect.

Answer 5

no, chemical weathering is where a chemical change takes place, so when rain over time rusts a metal, thats chemical weathering.

physical weathering is where a physical change takes place, such as an ice cube freezing and melting back into water.

Answer 6

Definitely not physical weathering is a mechanical process, aeolian, alluvial, etc. whereas chemical weathering is actually a chemical process. Included is a web site for further reference.

Answer 7

No. Physical is natural happenings such as rain wind freezing etc. Chemical is chemical related.