Which term describes a process in which salt crystals form within rock pores as seawater evaporates, widening the crevices?

Which term describes a process in which salt crystals form within rock pores as seawater evaporates, widening the crevices?

• A. Salt Crystal Growth
• B. Biological Activity
• C. Oxidation
• D. Hydration

Answer: (A)

When seawater dries, the dissolved salts become more concentrated until they crystallize as solid minerals inside the tiny pores of rocks. As these salt crystals grow, they push against the surrounding rock, widening the crevices and promoting physical weathering. This specific sequence—evaporation leading to salt precipitation and crystal growth within pores—defines salt crystal growth. Other processes don’t fit: biological activity involves organisms and their actions, oxidation is a chemical reaction with oxygen that alters minerals, and hydration is the uptake of water into minerals causing swelling rather than the formation and expansion of salt crystals from evaporated seawater.

When seawater dries, the dissolved salts become more concentrated until they crystallize as solid minerals inside the tiny pores of rocks. As these salt crystals grow, they push against the surrounding rock, widening the crevices and promoting physical weathering. This specific sequence—evaporation leading to salt precipitation and crystal growth within pores—defines salt crystal growth. Other processes don’t fit: biological activity involves organisms and their actions, oxidation is a chemical reaction with oxygen that alters minerals, and hydration is the uptake of water into minerals causing swelling rather than the formation and expansion of salt crystals from evaporated seawater.