A few million years ago, volcanic eruptions caused a large region to be covered by lava. The lava eventually cooled, which resulted in the formation of large amounts of igneous rock. Most of the rock formed was basalt. Today, this region is covered by soil, most of which is a soil known as laterite. Which geologic process caused the rock to change into soil?

Question

A few million years ago, volcanic eruptions caused a large region to be covered by lava. The lava eventually cooled, which resulted in the formation of large amounts of igneous rock. Most of the rock formed was basalt. Today, this region is covered by soil, most of which is a soil known as laterite. Which geologic process caused the rock to change into soil?
 A. 
transportation
 B. 
erosion
 C. 
weathering
 D. 
deposition

GPT-4o mini · Answer

The correct answer is C. weathering.

Weathering is the process that breaks down rocks (in this case, igneous basalt) into smaller particles, which eventually results in the formation of soil. In this scenario, the basalt would undergo both physical and chemical weathering over time, contributing to the creation of laterite soil.