frost action

From Glossary of Meteorology
In general, cycles of freezing and thawing of water contained in natural or man-made materials.

This is especially applied to the disruptive effects of this action. In geology, two basic types of frost action are described: 1) congelifraction, the shattering or splitting of rock material; and 2) congeliturbation, the churning, heaving, and thrusting of soil material.

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