Erosion: Shaping the Landscape

Pre-assessment

What do you think happened to this rock?

Learning Objectives

Know what erosion is

Name the forces of erosion

Describe the action of erosion

Categorize types of erosion

What is Erosion?Definition

Main Entry

ero·sion

i -'rO - zh&n

Function: noun

1.The wearing away and carrying off of rock, soil, sand, or other, earth materials.

Some agents of erosion include:

1. Water2. Wind3. Gravity4. Weathering5. Human Activity

Water

the most power agent of Erosion !!

Water can come in many forms.

Rain Drops, Storm-swollen rivers, Ocean waves, Rushing Streams, Glaciers (compressed snow)

Wind

Wind is most important in areas where there is little rain and very little or no vegetation. (Beach, Desert, Prarie)

Wind erosion can be dangerous. In 1937 there were giant dust storms.

Gravity

The pull of gravity causes the downward movement of materials.

This motion can be very slow. For example soil being pulled down a hillside. The motion can also be very fast like a mudslide.

Weathering

Weathering is the breaking down of rocks or the Earth’s surfaces through chemical or mechanical processes.

- Heating and cooling- Plant Roots- Pockets of Freezing Water- Chemicals (Pollution, Acid Rain)

Human Activity

Industrial development

- Factories- Automobiles

Poor agricultural (Farming) habits

- Polluted Runoff- Removing of vegetation

Deforestation

-Cutting down of tress

The End?

The process of erosion both wears away and builds a new. Nature is a balanced system. Even though mountains are destroyed by erosion molten rock within the Earth risesand creates new mountains.

Erosion might rob one area of soil but it is simply moving it to another location.

When a river floods it leaves mineral deposits that help plants grow.

When rocks are broken down they form sand and soil.

Activity

Explore How wind Shapes the Landscape

What happens when you blow the rice around in the pan?

Where might this type of erosion be found?

How does wind effect …

-Deserts?-Mountain tops?-Beaches?-Sand dunes?

Closure

Erosion is the wearing away and carrying off of rock, soil, sand, or other, earth materials.

The Forces of erosion are…

Water, Wind, Gravity, Weathering, Human Activity

The procession of erosion both wears away and builds the environment.

Verdict…

More than likely the rock split because of heating and cooling.