Which mechanism causes the collapse of poorly constructed dry stone walls over extended time periods?

💡 Explanation

When water penetrates small crevices in dry stone walls, frost wedging occurs because water expands upon freezing, exerting pressure, causing stones to shift and gradually destabilize the wall. Therefore frost wedging results, rather than porosity, brittleness, or solubility, which depend on material properties and chemical reactions rather than freeze-thaw cycles.

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