Erosion, Weathering, and Deposition

Erosion, Weathering, and Deposition

by Addison Todd

​Weathering

Let's say you pick up a rock. Now, there are many things you can do with a rock. You can throw it, sculpt it, and paint on it. But let's say that you decide to set it in front of a large, powerful fan. Over time, the rock will turn round and smooth. This is called weathering.

​Examples of Weathering:

• ​Waves crashing on a boulder

• ​Wind smoothing out a rock

• ​Gravity breaking the land

• ​The hot weather slowly melting a crystal

• ​Ice splitting a statue in half

​Erosion

​Now let's say you decide to get a hammer and smash the rock. This is erosion. Erosion is the breaking down of rocks and other material, whether it is broken down natural or not.

​Examples of Erosion:

• ​Earthquakes

• ​Gravity pushing and breaking rocks down

• ​Waves destroying sand dunes

• ​Tornadoes

• Landslides

​Deposition

​Erosion and Deposition work together a lot. But let's just talk about Deposition for now. So, we've taken the rock and smashed it. Well now we decide to take the shattered pieces of rock and carry them to the other side of the room. That is deposition, moving material from one place to another.

​Examples of Deposition

• ​Sand dunes and sand bars

• ​Deltas

• ​Water vapour turning into ice

• ​Frost

• ​Wind carrying dirt and sand

​How They All Work Together

​Weathering, Erosion, and Deposition all work together in a way. Weathering changes the rock, Erosion breaks down the rock, and deposition carries the rock. This process helps create land and sea alike.

​Ms. Todd-Creator