An impressive stone monument to Cleopatra has suffered physical and chemical erosion. Carbonate rocks such as limestone can easily break down in areas with lots of acidic rain.
Weathering is a natural process, but humans can speed it up by clearing away vegetation from their land. Erosion occurs when small pieces of Earth move through weathering to somewhere else via deposition.
Weathering
Weathering, or physical breakdown of rocks and minerals exposed to our atmosphere, occurs due to changes in temperature: when cold air meets warm water it causes cracks to form that wear away at its surface; rainwater and waves pounding against rocks for prolonged periods also can wear away at them over time and eventually wear holes into it.
Weathering takes many different forms. Chemical reactions break down bonds that hold rocks together, making it easier for other forces to break them apart into individual pieces. Weathering may occur on Earth’s surface or deep underground.
As one example of weathering, carbonic acid seeping from limestone rocks at Carlsbad Caverns National Park can dissolve massive networks of caves. Most weathering processes, however, occur over many thousands or millions of years – the Grand Canyon was formed through erosion by water over its lifetime; wind can also play an enormous role in weathering by carrying sand close to the ground and shaping rock surfaces differently than ever.
Transportation
Erosion occurs when natural forces wear away at the Earth’s surface through erosion. Transportation involves moving these eroded materials from one location to the next – which makes erosion distinct from deposition.
Wind, water and glacial ice all combine to erode rock and soil. Wind erosion displaces sand to new locations to form dunes while water erosion sends tons of sediment rushing into oceans each day – explaining why beaches contain so much sand.
Chemical weathering breaks down rocks and minerals through chemical interactions between acid raindrops and their environment, such as acid rain. Acid rain can dissolve limestone into sandstone and marble which then gets transported downslope by water as it flows.
Flowing water must overcome friction, such as that found near river banks or shallow areas. Furthermore, it must overcome gravity’s force that pulls particles down slopes; additionally it must break apart particles’ cohesive bonds (the force that holds their atoms together) through an action known as entrainment.
Deposition
Deposition occurs when pieces of rock that have been carried away by erosion are deposited somewhere else – either just nearby, or even further downriver in rivers.
Physical processes like freeze-thaw cycles, temperature shifts and the pounding of rain or wind against rocks all contribute to weathering processes. Chemical processes may also play a part – for instance if acid raindrops fall on granite rocks they can react with its minerals to form soluble substances that wash away with time.
Most erosion is caused by liquid water, wind or glaciers – typically creating mountains, valleys and canyons along with dust storms, hoodoos and arches. When erosion deposits sediment it leaves layers of sand, silt and other materials that build up into landforms. While erosion is essential to Earth’s development and evolution it can also have negative consequences; when chemicals or fertilizers wash into rivers it pollutes drinking water supplies.
Landforms
Many landforms on Earth have their origin in weathering, erosion and deposition processes. Children are keen observers who often notice different terrain and landforms around them – though they may not know why or how these features came into being.
Most rocks form deep within Earth’s crust under conditions of relatively consistent temperature, pressure and limited interaction with air or water. When they reach the surface of Earth, conditions drastically change as temperatures vary widely, pressure decreases significantly and exposure to air, water and other liquids wears away at their formation.
Water-related erosion can create a wide variety of landforms. Rivers can transport rock and soil particles away, depositing them at new locations over time – eventually leading to valleys, waterfalls, flood plains and deltas being formed over time. Ocean waves may further erode and shape coastal features like sea stacks, caves arches and wave-cut cliffs while chemical weathering such as hydration and hydrolysis can alter rock composition significantly.