What Causes Erosion?
Answer – Erosion is caused by agents such wind and water that wear away rock and carry its particles away.
Explanation:
Erosion is the process in which rock is broken down into smaller particles which are carried away from the initial site. It differs from weathering in that weathering is simply the breaking up of rocks, while erosion also includes the transport of the resultant particles.
Physical erosion, which is the actual physical breakdown of rocks, is frequently caused by agents such as wind and water. These two are, in fact, among the most common causes of erosion.
In its liquid state, water ebbs and flows over and against rock. The impact of this movement is the weathering of these rocks. The resulting sediments are then transported by the water to a different area.
Glaciers (ice) are another agent of erosion, as their movement across land simultaneously breaks and transports rock particles.
The impact of wind is also similar, as it beats against rock and carries the particles away. Its effects are most frequently witnessed in deserts and similarly barren and wide open spaces areas, where the weathered particles are light and fine (sand).
A few other agents of erosion are mobile organisms. Their movement over rock weathers it, and transports the particles.
Popular Questions
SHOW MORE TEXTBOOK SOLUTIONS+
-
11. Weathered materials move to lower elevations due only to
a. wind.
b. rain.
c. gravity.
d. erosion.
-
7. What is a glacier? How does a glacier erode the land?
-
39. Damage to the Lincoln Memorial by rain and smog is an example of
a. physical weathering.
b. chemical weathering.
c. exfoliation.
d. erosion.
- Tides are caused a. only by the sun b. only by the moon c. by both the sun and the moon d. sometimes by the sun and sometimes by the moon
- In the formation of a river delta, why are larger particles deposited first, followed by smaller particles farther out?
- What is a boundary layer? What causes a boundary layer to develop?
- Briefly describe the cause of the tides on Earth, why they lead to tidal friction, and how tidal friction affects Earths rotation and the orbit of ...
-
16. Briefly describe the rock-forming process that changes sediments into solid rock.
-
1. Small changes that result in the breaking up, crumbling, and destruction of any kind of rock are
a. decomposition.
b. weathering.
c. corrosion....
- What causes waves, and how and what do they propagate?
- What causes pressure difference to arise and hence causes the wind to blow?
- A grain of sand with mass 1.0 mg and kinetic energy 1.0 J is incident on a potential energy barrier with height 1.00000 J and width 2500 nm. How ma...
- Figure 27.34 shows two 7.50-cm-long glass slides illuminated by pure 589-nm wavelength light incident perpendicularly. The top slide touches the bo...
- Foliation occurs in a. sedimentary rocks b. metamorphic rocks c. igneous rocks d. all of the above
-
35. The breaking up, crumbling, chemical decomposition, and destruction of rocks at or near Earth's surface are called
a. rockslide.
b. mining.
c....
- What is the source of the energy that powers most geological processes other than erosion?
-
9. Could a glacier erode the land lower than sea level? Explain.
- What is particulate matter and when is it produced?
- Rocks that have been altered by heat and pressure beneath the earths surface are called a. igneous rocks b. sedimentary rocks c. metamorphic rocks ...
- A ruptured oil tanker causes a circular oil slick on the surface of the ocean. When its radius is 150 meters, the radius of the slick is expanding ...
- Why is a decrease in Earth’s ozone harmful to life?
- What factors predispose a slope to mass wasting?
- A large beverage cooler resembles a small building and is to be maintained at about 35 F (2 C) and a low relative humidity. The walls and ceiling a...
- How does the acidification of rainwater contribute to the formation of soil?
- What initiates the fall of rain from a cloud? The fall of snow?
-
31. What are you doing to a rock if you dissolve it in acid?
a. Mechanical weathering
b. Chemical weathering
c. Erosion
d. Transportation
-
15. Compare the materials deposited by streams, wind, and glaciers.
- In descending order, rank the rocks in terms of their susceptibility to chemical erosion: (a) marble, (b) limestone, (c) sandstone, (d) quartzite,
- In sand derived from the attack of waves on granite, what mineral would you expect to be most abundant?
- In what two ways does sediment turns into sedimentary rock?
- * EST Energy changes when it rains Estimate the energy that is released or absorbed as water condenses and falls to Earth. Use the following inform...
- Microscopic slush in water tends to make the water (a) slipperier. (b) warmer. (c) more dense. (d) less dense.
- What evidence can you give that granulation is caused by convection?
- Why must a flux form a less dense slag?
- Why are clay minerals and quartz particles abundant in sediments that have not been chemically deposited?
- What causes crater cracks?
- What is permeability, and why is it important in molding sands?
- Why does a car always attract dust right after it is polished? (Note that car wax and car tires are insulators.)
- Machines used for making snow at ski areas blow a mixture of compressed air and water through a nozzle. The temperature of the mixture may initiall...
- Under what conditions does orographic precipitation occur?
- What makes some spatter “hard?”
- The buildup of minerals and deposits inside the cooling system is called. organic soil scale rust grime
- Cycles in nature, such as the rock cycle, consist of both materials and processes. What are the processes of change that take place in the rock cyc...
- What is the physical mechanism that causes the friction factor to be higher in turbulent flow?
- An aluminum plate and a stainless steel plate are pressed against each other at an average pressure of 20 Wa. Both plates have a surface roughness ...
- How does the size and shape of the sand grains relate to molding sand properties?
