Final answer:
Thermal stress weakens rock through temperature-induced expansion and contraction, aiding in its disintegration. Exfoliation and pressure expansion are processes causing rock cracking and disintegration due to changes in pressure and temperature.
Explanation:
Thermal stress is the weakening of rock due to expansion and contraction from temperature changes. This stress can cause rocks to disintegrate over time, especially in environments with frequent temperature fluctuations.
Exfoliation is the specific process where the removal of overlying rock decreases the pressure on the rock, leading to expansion and cracking. This cracking promotes the gradual breaking apart of the rock layers.
Pressure expansion, another term for this process, occurs when bedrock rapidly expands and cracks upon sudden pressure drop as a result of uplift and erosion, alongside examples like sheeting and spheroidal weathering.
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