The Erosion-Deposition Process
Reshaping Earth’s surface
A combination of constructive processes and destructive processes produce
landforms.
Erosion
-is the removal of weathered material from one location to another.
Main Agents:
 Water
 Wind
 Glaciers
 Gravity
The rate of Erosion
Factors that affect the rate of erosion include weather,climate,topography and
the type of rock. The presence of plants and the way humans use land also affect
the rate of erosion. Erosion occurs faster on barren land rather than land covered by
vegetation.
Rounding
The shape can change when rock fragments bump into each other. Can range from
poorly rounded to well-rounded(the more polished).
Sorting
As sediment is transported , it can become sorted by grain size. Well
sorted=moved by wind or waves. Poorly sorted= by storm, volcanic eruption,
floods.
Deposition
-The laying down or settling of eroded material. Sediment is deposited in locations
called depositional environments.
Depositional Environments
The locations are land, along coasts, or oceans. The amount of energy determines
the size and the amount sediment moved. The sediment is deposited when or
where the energy decreases.
Sediment layers(beds)
Beds often form as layers of sediment at the bottom of rivers, lakes, and oceans.
Interpreting Landforms
Landforms created by Erosion
1. Landforms formed by erosion can expose several layers of rock.
Multicolored mounds
2. Different rates of erosion can result in unusual landforms when some rocks
erode and leave more erosion-resistant rocks behind. Tall & protruding
3. Glacial erosion and Coastal erosion. U-shaped valleys
Landforms created by Deposition
Flat & Low. Deposition along a riverbed occurs where the speed of water slows.