Weathering is a process that happens to surface rocks based on the particular environment in which the rock is located. The two types of weathering are physical and chemical. Chemical weather is a process in which the internal crystals of rocks undergo chemical changes based on environmental conditions. If rock is exposed to water over a long period of time, for instance, it breaks down and often sand and clay are the result. Depending on the type of rock, there are a number of minerals that react to oxygen, particularly ones with iron or other metals. When we see reddish rocks, we are almost certain that they have iron as a component and have undergone chemical weathering.

Weathering has a symbiotic relationship to climate -- so the degree of weathering will vary with the climate of a particular area. One example might be a rock in the arctic regions would...
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