Question

The evaporation of water within rocks, that leaves behind expanding crystals that cause breaking, is know as?

hydrolysis

ice wedging

salt wedging

chemical weathering

Answer 1

The process you're describing—where evaporation of water leaves behind crystals that expand and cause the rock to break—is known as **salt wedging**. This occurs when saline water evaporates, leaving behind salt crystals that expand and exert pressure on the surrounding rock, leading to weathering and fragmentation.