Is Freeze Thaw Erosion Or Weathering. Exfoliation occurs as cracks develop parallel to the land surface a consequence of the reduction in pressure during uplift and erosion. The ice thaws during the day when the temperatures rise.
The water freezes when the temperature drops again at night and the ice widens the crack even more. A crack in a rock can fill with water which then freezes as the temperature drops. As the glacier moves downhill it ' plucks ' the rocks frozen into the glacier from the ground.
