Weathering erosion deposition is a process that creates distinct geological features. Rocks exhibit various levels of erosion resistance, leading to unique-looking formations like those at Bryce Canyon and Goblin Valley in Utah.
Erosion is a mechanical process driven by water. Moving waters carry away sediment and even rock fragments along their path of travel.
Water
Water, particularly running water and glaciers, is one of the primary contributors to erosion. Running water can wreak havoc by seeping into cracks in rock surfaces and seeping in, wearing away surfaces over time.
Water flows carry sediment from one place to the next, creating deltas and floodplains which contain fertile soil made up of eroded sediment. One such river in China that is particularly notable for this transport of loess is Yellow River in central China.
Chemical weathering is the dominant force in warm, moist environments. Acidic rainwater dissolves minerals and rocks within bedrock layers to form caves and cliffs. Dissolution may also cause limestone to erode into caves and sinkholes known as karst topography; while waves eroding beachfront sand create sea stacks, arches, or wave-cut cliffs.
Ice
Weathering erosion deposition occurs when earth particles are moved by erosion and deposited elsewhere – whether this means moving nearby like when waves carry sand to beaches or more faraway like when gravel lands in rivers beds. Weathering erosion deposition is caused by factors including wind, rain, snow, gravity and temperature changes among other things.
Water is the key factor behind weathering erosion deposition. Rainwater enters cracks and crevices in rocks where it collects. Once frozen and expanded, this expands further, wedgeing its way between rock molecules to break apart roads or form potholes – often times cracks appear along roadways or potholes appear as roads crack or potholes form on roads or potholes appear along streets or roads. Ice wedge formation also leads to glacier erosion creating U-shaped valleys, glacial lakes, moraines drumlins or kettle lakes.
Wind
Wind is an impressive force capable of transporting heat, moisture and pollutants over great distances. Furthermore, its winds erode Earth’s surface into features like sand dunes and Loess deposits – both phenomena caused by wind.
Physical weathering alters a rock’s physical properties without altering its chemical makeup, leading to changes like smaller or smoother rocks or loosening or breaking apart larger fragments into smaller ones. This process often occurs as part of mass wasting events like landslides and rockslides.
Wind erosion is an international challenge. Dust can be carried for miles by strong winds, polluting water supplies and decimating plant life. Erosion can also wreak havoc when washed into rivers and oceans where it carries chemicals and fertilizers into lakes and streams that pollute these waters further.
Earthquakes
Earthquakes are caused by the slow movement of fragile parts of Earth’s outer layer known as tectonic plates, moving 2-12 centimeters every year and creating stress within and between plates; when this stress reaches critical mass, one or more plates slip suddenly, triggering an earthquake.
Erosion creates sedimentary rocks like sandstone or limestone by physically breaking down and dissolving bedrock. Erosion also turns rocks into organic matter such as humus that organisms use to form soil.
Geologists study how sediment is sorted (the process by which particles are organized into groups) to ascertain its formation by erosional forces; windblown sand tends to be well sorted while glacial deposits typically show little orderliness.
Soil
Soil is one of our planet’s most valuable natural resources. It supports plant life that creates food webs and transfers energy between species in an ecosystem.
Soil forms through mechanical and chemical weathering of rock, especially bedrock or other unconsolidated rock that has been disintegrated by erosion. Soil is an ever-evolving material, continually changing with time, location, and management practices.
Physical properties of soil depend on its proportions of sand, silt and clay particles. When you rub your fingers against a sandy soil it may feel gritty; floury or slick textures of silt-sand mixtures; while sticky clay soils feel sticky. Particle sizes from these mineral fractions and bits of organic matter combined with small pore spaces ultimately determine its texture.