What Factors Affect the Rate of Weathering?
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The factors that affect the rate of weathering are humidity, the composition of rocks, high temperatures, vegetation and wind. In a hot and wet environment, weathering tends to be rapid. In dry climates, weathering is slower.
Sedimentary rocks are soft and break down quickly. Metamorphic rocks, such as slate and marble, tend to weather slowly. Granite and basalt rocks are hard and take longer to degrade when exposed to the agents of weathering.
Rainfall affects weathering as running water tends to break down rocks quickly. When the land is covered by vegetation, it does not weather quickly. Rocks exposed directly to heat, wind and water tend to weather very quickly.
