A simple theoretical approach to the thermal expansion mechanism of salt weathering

•The widely distributed salt weathering in arid northwestern China is seldom studied.•The thermal stress on a rock substrate due to a superficial salt layer was derived.•Thermal expansion seems insignificant compared to crystallization and hydration.

The traditional plate theory in solid mechanics is used to estimate the thermal stress caused by a superficial salt layer on a rock substrate. This preliminary investigation theoretically demonstrates that the thermal expansion of superficial salt layers is difficult to result in rock breakdown during the process of salt weathering.

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