Question

Breaking or weakening of rocks is called _____________.
(A) Earthquake
(B) Raining
(C) Weathering
(D) All of above

Answer 1

Hint: When we define a rock, it is an organic material made up of solid crystals of various minerals which have bonded together to form another solid substance. Every rock on Earth is affected when it comes to withstanding erosion and natural forces of the earth that causes it to break down.

Complete answer:
It is natural for rocks to break down and so there is a common phenomenon that happens that causes the rocks to break every now and then. Weathering is the process by which solid rocks disintegrate or crumble. It is determined by climatic factors as well as rock characteristics. The deposition of soil is also caused by the disintegration of rocks.
When the process of break-down of rocks takes place, a mechanism known as erosion will transfer the rock and mineral fragments away.

Let us examine each option:
Option (A) Earthquake is an incorrect option. An earthquake is a spontaneous trembling motion of the earth's crust. Earthquakes are triggered by unexpected tectonic changes in the Earth's crust. They have the power to break down rocks but we require a regular phenomenon where breaking up of rocks takes place and that is not done by the earthquake. So we reject this option.
Option (B) Raining is an incorrect option. The precipitation of water or liquid form that falls from the atmosphere is said to be rain. When clouds get saturated or overflowing with water droplets, drops of rainfall to Earth. Over time water can break up rocks but it is not the sole cause of the break up of rocks. So we reject this option.
Option (C) Weathering is the correct option. This is because weathering is the method of disintegrating or breaking up rock minerals, not removing them. It is classified as the dissolution or degradation of rocks that are on the earth's surface into fragments by different agents present in the environment.
Option (D) All of the above is an incorrect option. Since we have only one option as the correct answer, this option is meaningless and so can be rejected.

Therefore the correct answer is option (C) weathering.

Note: Let us remember that if the rock has been damaged and split up into pieces, it is prepared for erosion. Erosion occurs as different agents pick up and transport rocks and sediments to a new location. The agents may be air, water, wind, frost, or something else capable of dispersing the particles.