Water is the factor that contributes to both chemical and mechanical weathering.
- In mechanical weathering, water can facilitate processes like freeze-thaw cycles, where water seeps into cracks, freezes, and expands, causing the rock to break apart.
- In chemical weathering, water acts as a solvent and plays a crucial role in chemical reactions, including the dissolution of minerals and hydrolysis.
The other options—abrasion, freezing, and oxidation—are more specific to either mechanical or chemical weathering. For example, abrasion is a form of mechanical weathering, and oxidation is a form of chemical weathering.