What is Erosion and How does it Occur
While erosion is generally confused for weathering, it is actually the process by which rocks and soil on the surface of the earth are moved from one location to another by forces like wind and water. While erosion is a natural consequence of moving forces, our activities, like cutting down forests, have significantly increased the natural rate of erosion. Presently, water and wind are the two major agents of erosion.
Instructions
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Erosion by water and ice
Water, even as rainfall, is majorly responsible for erosion. When a raindrop falls, it can displace the soil particles, which are then washed off in heavy rain and deposited at the base of a slope. Effectively, the rain water has moved soil from location and deposited it at another.
Likewise, rivers and streams, especially river heads, where the water movement is very fast, face vertical erosion. The bed is deepened by the flow of water as it breaks off small bits and pieces from the base and carries it with the flow. Once a river or stream is past the slope, it starts lateral erosion, widening the river banks. By the end, when the stream has run its course, the water no longer has the force to carry the debris, which is then deposited on the bed.
Glaciers, which are dense bodies of ice, slowly move from their point of origins. During this movement, they can gather debris at the base, which then shaves off the underlying bed like sandpaper. Moreover, plucking is another process by which glaciers can break rocks and transport them as they move themselves. Moraines are left behind when glaciers melt, and are formed of the rocks and debris caught in the glacier. -
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Wind Erosion
Wind erosion can lead to remarkable rock formations, especially in arid and dry regions. Wind depends on two main processes for erosion, deflation and abrasion. In deflation, wind carries off soil particles by sheer force and can transport them across huge distances. This is mainly true in deserts and large arid plains. In abrasion, the wind acts upon existing rocks by cutting away at them using the smaller particles it has carried off from the surface.
These small rocks and particles in the wind can in time erode large rocks and result in mushrooms or pedestal rocks, which are characterized by their narrow bases and wide tops. The broken off particles from these rocks are also transported by the wind.
