weathering,  disintegration or alteration of rock in its natural
or original position at or near the Earth’s surface through
physical, chemical, and biological processes induced or modified
by wind, water, and climate.  During the weathering process the
translocation of disintegrated or altered material occurs within
the immediate vicinity of the rock exposure, but the rock mass
remains in situ. Weathering is distinguished from erosion by the
fact that the latter usually includes the transportation of the
disintegrated rock and soil away from the site of the
degradation. A broader application of erosion, however, includes
weathering as a component of the general denudation of all
landforms along with wind action and fluvial, marine and glacial
processes. The occurrence of weathering at or near the Earth’s
surface also distinguishes it from the physical and chemical
alteration of rock through metamorphism, which usually takes
place deep in the crust at much higher temperatures.  Weathering
involves physical, c