Erosion

a natural process that transports or carries rock/loosened particles from one place to another by water, wind, waves, glaciers, and gravity

the removal of topsoil from one place or another by natural or man-made process

process by which sediments are laid down in new locations

agents of erosion: large amounts of soil are scraped from the land by runoff and carried into rivers and eventually into the sea

agents of erosion: tidal action and waves carry away weathered materials; flowing water will lift and carry small sediments such as silt and sand

agents of erosion: blowing away loose sand and dust

agents of erosion: using sand like sandpaper to scrap rock surfaces

agents of erosion: when wind is the primary agent of erosion and deposition, the resulting features are called?

agents of erosion: when something blocks the movement of sands, the sand gets deposited. over time, the pile of sand becomes a dune

agents of erosion: these are streamlines, elongated ridges carved directly into the bedrock by persistent winds blowing in one direction

agents of erosion: the _____ the slope the more weathering takes place

when rock, regolith, or soil and loose weathered rock on the sloped top layers of the earth’s surface is transported downward by gravity

causes of mass wasting: the balance between the forces acting on a slope can be upset by making the slope steeper or by increasing the load on the slope

causes of mass wasting: the load can be increased by adding material or other load at the toe

causes of mass wasting: likelihood of a slope to slide

types of downslope movement: abrupt movements of mass materials that become detached from steep slopes or cliffs

types of downslope movement: mass movement of material containing large amount of water which moves down slope as thick liquid

types of downslope movement: an earthflow consisting of material that is wet enough to flow rapidly

types of downslope movement: this is a variety of very rapid to extremely rapid debris flow

types of downslope movement: a form of rapid mass movement in which a combination of loose soil, rock, organic matter, air, and water mobilize as a slurry that flows downslope

types of downslope movement: imperceptibly slow, steady, downward movement of slope-forming soil or rock

types of downslope movement: downward movement of mass material is along a certain path

types of downslope movement: occurs when a coherent mass of loosely consolidated materials or rock layers moves a short distance down a slope

types of downslope movement: occurs when one or more rock units rotate about their base and collapse