Frost weathering

"Hydrofracturing" redirects here. For the method of petroleum and natural gas extraction, see Hydraulic fracturing.
A rock in Abisko, Sweden, fractured (along existing joints) possibly by mechanical frost weathering or thermal stress (a chullo is shown for scale)
Rock face and downstream exit of the stream (Unnamed) of the cave of the Trou du Diable, Saint-Casimir, Quebec

Frost weathering is a collective term for several mechanical weathering processes induced by stresses created by the freezing of water into ice. The term serves as an umbrella term for a variety of processes, such as frost shattering, frost wedging, and cryofracturing. The process may act on a wide range of spatial and temporal scales, from minutes to years and from dislodging mineral grains to fracturing boulders. It is most pronounced in high-altitude and high-latitude areas and is especially associated with alpine, periglacial, subpolar maritime, and polar climates, but may occur anywhere at sub-freezing temperatures (between −3 and −8 °C (27 and 18 °F)) if water is present.[1]

  1. ^ Hales, T. C.; Roering, Joshua (2007). "Climatic controls on frost cracking and implications for the evolution of bedrock landscapes". Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface. 112 (F2): F02033. Bibcode:2007JGRF..112.2033H. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.716.110. doi:10.1029/2006JF000616.