Generation: Read About Weathering and Erosion

Weathering

The process by which Earth's surface is broken down into smaller pieces by wind, water, ice, plants, gravity, and temperature changes.

Erosion

The movement of weathered material from one place to another by water, wind, glaciers, or gravity.

Deposition

The laying down of eroded material in a new location.

Frost wedging

The cracking of rock due to water freezing in cracks and expanding, acting like a wedge.

Pothole

A hole in roads or sidewalks formed when ice expands in cracks and weathering pieces break away.

Water erosion

Erosion caused by moving water that transports particles.

Wind erosion

Erosion caused by wind wearing away rock and moving particles.

Glacier

A slowly moving mass of ice formed from compacted snow, usually found in mountains or polar regions; can pick up and move pieces of earth.

Mudslide

A rapid movement of water-saturated soil and rock caused by moving water and gravity, occurring in minutes.

Mushroom rock

A rock formed by wind erosion that carves away the bottom, leaving a cap-like top.

Split Apple Rock

A large boulder in New Zealand believed to have split apart due to ice expansion during an ice age.

Grand Canyon

A five-thousand-foot-deep canyon in Arizona carved by the Colorado River over millions of years; a classic example of weathering and erosion.

Granite

A hard rock that wears away slowly under weathering.

Limestone

A softer rock that weathers more quickly than granite.

Plant root wedging

Plant roots growing into cracks and expanding them gradually until rock fragments break off.

Black sand deposition (Hawaii)

Deposited black sand on beaches in Hawaii formed from eroded lava.

Liquid nitrogen

An extremely cold liquid (-321°C) used to freeze things rapidly.

Weathering rate

The speed at which weathering occurs; depends on rock type and environmental conditions (hard rocks like granite weather slowly; limestone weathers faster).