Frost wedging is a form of weathering caused by water seeping into the cracks of rocks. this type of weathering is common in regions that have very cold winters. how does frost wedging take place?

This is a physical weathering process — when water freezes, it expands, pushing the rock apart slowly over a period of time.

The frost wedging is also known as the freeze and thaw method of rock weathering process. In a region where the temperature is relatively cold or places having cold winters, there occurs this process.

In this process, precipitation takes place during the day time, and the water gets accumulated in the region where there are joints and fractures. These water gets freezed during the night time as a result of which the volume of the water gets increased by about 9%. Due to this increasing volume, it exerts an outward pressure on both the sides of the cracks, that eventually lead to the breakdown of the rocks. This process takes place continuously and thus, the rock weathers.