weathering

weathering (weathered) [De].
The erosion of archaeological materials and deposits through natural fluvial and aeolian processes caused by wind, rainfall, groundwater changes, freezing and thawing, river action, ocean currents and tides, glacial action, gravity, and abrasion. Such processes may result in the physical loss, peneplaining, fragmentation, or reduction in the size of structures, deposits, or single artefacts; these are described as ‘weathered’.