EROSION Erosion Erosion is the process that transports

EROSION

Erosion ◦ Erosion is the process that transports weathered material from one location to another. ◦ 2 kinds: 1) Rill erosion is the erosion by running water in small channels, on the side of a slope. 2) Gully erosion is when a rill channel evolves to become deep and wide.

Rill Erosion vs Gully Erosion Rill Erosion Gully Erosion

Agents of Erosion ◦ Erosion can be caused by one of three ways: 1. Water 2. Wind 3. Glaciers

Erosion by Running Water ◦ Water has more power to move large particles than wind does. ◦ The greater the volume and the faster the speed the more power water and wind have. – When a river or stream enters a large body of water, the water slows down and deposits large amounts of sediments called deltas.

Nile River Delta

Coastal Deposition and Erosion ◦ The movement of water results in constant erosion along ocean shorelines. ◦ Sand along a shoreline is constantly picked up, moved and deposited by ocean currents. ◦ Sandbars form from offshore sand deposits and can become barrier islands. ◦ Human development and population growth along shorelines have led to us to try to control the ocean’s movements of sand.

Artificial Islands in Dubai

Barrier Islands of North Carolina

Wind Erosion ◦ Wind is a major erosional agent in areas that are hot and dry. ◦ Wind erosion is much weaker when compared to the erosion by running water and glacial activity.

Glacial Erosion ◦ Although glaciers currently cover less than ten percent of Earth’s surface, their erosional effects are large-scale and dramatic. • Glaciers have the capacity to carry huge rocks and debris over great distances. • The erosional effects of glaciers also include deposition ( Ex. Long Island, N. Y. ) and changing V-shaped valleys to U-shaped valleys.

Long Island, NY ◦ Formed from 2 terminal moraines

A U-shaped valley carved by a glacier

Review of Weathering and Erosion ◦ Weathering and Erosion