Erosion...the movement of weathered material like gravel, soil, and sand

Erosion...the movement of weathered material like gravel, soil, and sand

The Chief Causes

of Erosion are

WATER

WIND

and GLACIERS

Sand Dunes in Death ValleyWhere did all of this sand originate?

WATER as a form of Erosion

Moving water in rain, rivers, streams and oceans is greatest cause of erosion

Water carries Sediment that scours surfaces as it flows over them

Crashing waves erode beaches, cliffs, bluffs; also pile up sand dunes

Currents move sand dunes and barrier islands

Water Erosion on the Duckabush River in the Olympic Mountains in Olympic National Park in Washington

Second main cause of erosionDries out land and blows topsoil awaySandstorms sand blast rock formations and

buildings

WIND as a form of Erosion

Conversely, can alsoblow nutrient rich

loess(dust and silt) into

place

GLACIERS as a form of ErosionGlaciers are large, slow-moving sheets or rivers

of icethat scour out wide, u-shaped valleys.

They leave behind Moraines when they retreat.

Moraines can act like dams and hold in water to form glacial lakes.