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Biological Weathering

Biological weathering occurs when living organisms break down rocks and other objects through mechanical or chemical means. Mechanical biological weathering can happen when tree roots grow through rocks and slowly pry them apart. Organisms like bacteria and lichen also secrete chemicals that dissolve rocks over long periods. Plants and animals can additionally act as agents of mechanical weathering by exposing rocks to other natural weathering processes through their growth, movement, or burrowing activities.

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141 views2 pages

Biological Weathering

Biological weathering occurs when living organisms break down rocks and other objects through mechanical or chemical means. Mechanical biological weathering can happen when tree roots grow through rocks and slowly pry them apart. Organisms like bacteria and lichen also secrete chemicals that dissolve rocks over long periods. Plants and animals can additionally act as agents of mechanical weathering by exposing rocks to other natural weathering processes through their growth, movement, or burrowing activities.

Uploaded by

gmuthu2000
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Biological weathering is the effect that living organisms, such as plants and animals, have on

rocks and other inanimate objects. This phenomena happens due to the molecular
breakdown of minerals in the rock. When biological weathering occurs, the living organism
breaks down the rock or other nonliving object through either mechanical or chemical
erosion or the use of both.
An example of mechanical biological weathering is tree roots growing through a rock, slowly
prying it apart or breaking the rock into pieces. Once the tree roots create the holes for the
roots to go through, the roots can leech the nutrients from the rock. Another example is an
animal that secretes an acid or bores its way into a rock by slowly eroding the space and
sliding into it. Either of these methods works to dissolve the rock over time. Organisms such
as bacteria, algae and lichen secrete chemicals that work to break down the rocks on which
they live. This provides for the slow dissolution of the rock while the organism is still pulling
the nutrients it needs to survive from the rock. Organisms such as moss, lichen and algae
primarily are found near water sources where the climate is humid, damp and shaded. In this
type of climate the organism can grow unimpeded.
Plants and animals become agents of mechanical weathering when their growth,
activities or movements expose rocks to the weathering actions of wind, rain and
ice. The roots of plants, particularly large trees, can shift the soil and lift or crack rocks that
block their paths. Animals often dig tunnels that cause the same effects, but their burrowing,
foraging and den-making activities can also cause rocks to become expos

Examples of plants moving heavy items can be seen on many old driveways and
sidewalks. As large trees grow, and their roots undermine these concrete structures,
they cause them to move or crack. The same principle occurs when roots move
under or around large rocks in a natural setting. Trees and large plants do not cause
these kinds of changes quickly. They take many years or decades to do so.
Animals that are agents of weathering are almost always burrowing or tunneling
creatures. Moles, voles, rodents and frogs may dig near an areas bedrock and
expose the rock to the air inside the tunnel. Merely exposing the rocks to the air
causes some weathering over time. However, if this tunnel later fills with water or
freezes, the damage is even more severe.

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