Frost weathering
![A rock in Abisko, Sweden fractured (along existing joints) possibly by mechanical frost weathering or thermal stress; a chullo is shown for scale](/Images/godic/202501/07/Abiskorock0852.JPG")
Frost weathering is a collective term for several mechanical weathering processes induced by stresses created by the freezing of water into ice. The term serves as an umbrella term for a variety of processes such as frost shattering, frost wedging and cryofracturing. The process may act on a wide range of spatial and temporal scales, from minutes to years and from dislodging mineral grains to fracturing boulders.