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Erosion
What is erosion?
Erosion is removal of soil, sediment, and rock fragments from a landform. It is caused by wind, water, waves, glaciers ext.
What does erosion do?
Erosion removes fragments from areas that were once glaciated. Erosion shapes coastlines, and the shorelines of lakes. Erosion creates hills, valleys, canyons, and it wears down mountains.
What are all the types' erosion and how do the work?
Water Erosion
Water erosion occurs from the chemicals in the water, and the force of the flow of water in the river. There are many chemicals in the water of a river, and those chemicals can break down certain rocks, such as limestone or chalk. This eroded rock is carried down the river. Sometimes, a crack or crevice develops. When the force of the flowing river smashes into that crack, the rock can break away, and again be carried down the river.
As you can see, erosion creates a load in the river. When rocks, pebbles or even boulders smack the riverbed, or side, this can cause further erosion. Also, if a boulder is stuck in an eddy, it can create a pothole in the riverbed. Rivers can wind around, but that will be looked at in the next section.
Wind Erosion
Wind erosion, though it may be small where you live, can take quite a toll on areas of the world covered in desert. Wind erosion is simple... light objects, such as rocks and pebbles are carried by the wind and can hit landforms, eroding materials off them, that are carried off in the wind.
Glacier Erosion
Ice erosion, besides that of hail, comes mostly in the form of glacier erosion. Glaciers are giant bodies of ice that can pick up huge pieces of rock, some even as big as houses. A combination of the water, ice, and picked up sediment, create a powerful eroding machine.
The more sediment that's picked up, the greater the force of erosion. The erosion can smooth out areas that were once rugged and rocky. Glaciers can carry almost anything, and like sandpaper, the sediment just keeps increasing. Glaciers are such a powerful force that they can carve valleys, deposit moraines, or lead to the creation of landforms such as deltas.
Sea Erosion
Erosion in the Sea also occurs. The salts and other chemicals can erode weak rocks on the coast, such as limestone and chalk. The eroded materials are carried up the shore by the means of a longshore drift.
Waves crashing against the shore can create air pressure inside cracked rocks that can eventually break them. Furthermore, if rocks, pebbles or sediment is carried in the waves, they can smash up against the shore and erode it even more.
Soil Erosion
Soil erosion pays the biggest price to farmers. Flooding, wind etc. Can carry the topsoil away from farmlands, and make the soil unfertile.
Deposition
What is deposition?
Deposition is the forming of coast, along with the assistance of erosion which happens before deposition.
What does deposition do?
Deposition affects the shape and type of the coast (and erosion helps too). The creation of sandy beaches, estuaries, sand bars, spits, deltas and lagoons.
Weathering
What is weathering?
Weathering is a process that produces change in the surface of rocks exposed to the atmosphere and/or hydrosphere.
How does weathering happen?
First, water seeps into small cracks in rocks. Next, the water freezes into ice, it expands which creates great pressure. Later, the crack widens and allows the water to seep deeper into the rock.
What is chemical weathering?
Chemical weathering is a breakdown of any water. Chemical weathering is also the process of rocks being decomposed.
Glossary
Erosion: Superficial destruction of a surface by friction, pressure, ulceration, or trauma.
Fragment: To break[something] into pieces or fragments; cause to disintegrate
Weathering: The state of the atmosphere with respect to wind, temperature, cloudiness, moisture, pressure, etc.
For more info about weathering, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weathering
Home
For more information on deposition, visit:
http://www.spiritus-temporis.com
Comments (6)
wsg said
at 3:07 pm on Apr 16, 2010
those links were very neat and helpful. Great site!
Best Regards, wsg
wgb said
at 3:11 pm on Apr 16, 2010
Great pabge layout
wlw said
at 3:11 pm on Apr 16, 2010
It was very good. Great discription on Erosions, Deposition, and Weathering. I like it
wcm said
at 3:24 pm on Apr 16, 2010
Very good and detailed
anm said
at 1:59 pm on Apr 26, 2010
add pictures
bmk said
at 11:43 am on May 16, 2010
I liked that you explained the cycle of water erosion. I never knew a lot of things about it!
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