Parchment cracking without the loss of material.

A tear is usually an unbroken break through the parchment that begins at the edge without any noticeable loss of material. A split is a narrow sharp break in a (usually rigid) material without complete the separation of the material into pieces.

Tears and splits may be caused by careless handling, improper storage, or intentional splitting when the document is annulled. However, as the parchment degrades, internal stresses can occur that are strong enough to split the parchment.