Weathering is the process of breaking down or dissolving rocks, soil, and minerals on the Earth's surface. This process can occur due to many different factors, including extreme temperatures, contact with water and wind, chemical reactions, or biological activity.

Here are some ways in which weathering changes rocks:

- Physical weathering:

- Freeze-thaw: Water seeps into cracks and pores, and freezing causes expansion resulting in cracks which later widen

- Exfoliation: Occurs where the outer layers of rock peel off or flake away in sheets like an onion due to repeated heating and cooling

- Thermal stresses: Heating in day and cooling at night causes expansion

and contraction.

Chemical weathering

Chemical reactions break down minerals, releasing new chemicals while creating new ones like hydroxides, carbonates, etc. Examples:- Acid Rain: rainwater dissolves carbon dioxide ( CO2) to form a weak carbonic acid that weathers carbonate minerals and rock.

Biological weathering includes plants with strong roots that widen pores of the rock; burrowing animals and insects make cracks as they dig their habitats

Weathering processes contribute to shaping the landscape we see today by breaking down rocks into fragments; and creating soil for ecosystems of life