Weathering

Look at these two images—one is a sculpture of Abraham Lincoln and one is a natural rock sculpture. How do you think each of these sculptures was formed? Roll over each image to find out more.

Just as the artist uses tools, like chisels and hammers, to whittle away a block of marble into a statue of Lincoln, nature uses water, wind, ice, or other climatic factors to shape its sculptures. Like the marble in the statue, Earth materials are broken down into smaller pieces.

How does weathering compare to erosion?
 

In the natural sculpture, for example, the rock you see was weathered in the same location in which it is now located. In this way, weathering is different from erosion, which involves the transport of materials from one place to another.

Weathering is said to be an in situ process--meaning it takes place without transporting materials from one place to another. All weathering takes place near Earth’s surface. The atmosphere is the "artist" of all weathering on Earth. In weathering, the atmosphere usually interacts directly with rocks (such as wind directly shaping a rock by constantly beating against it). Sometimes, however, the atmosphere plays a more secondary role, such as when plants produce chemicals to speed up the weathering of rocks. These plants could only survive with the atmosphere around them.

How do you think weathering on Earth compares to weathering on the moon?
 

Weathering does not take place on the moon because an atmosphere is necessary to produce weathering. The moon doesn’t have an atmosphere. The surface of the moon has remained relatively unchanged for millions of years.