Download Agents of Erosion Notes

Agents of Erosion Notes
Erosion Caused by…Running Water
Erosion is…
The process by which soil
& sediment are
transported from one
location to another.
The running water of the
Colorado River cut down
into the rock and formed
the Grand Canyon over
millions of years.
Flood Control (Levee)
Overflow from
rivers/streams (running
water) can be controlled
by a barrier called a
_____________.
It is the
Levee
buildup of sediment
deposited along the
channel of a river. People
often use sandbags to
build an artificial levee to
control serious flooding.
Deposition in Water (Delta)
Deposition is…
The process in which
material is laid down or
dropped.
When a river empties into
a large body of water, like
a lake or an ocean, the
current slows. The river
often deposits its load of
sediments in a fan-shaped
delta
pattern called a ________.
It is made mostly of
mud
___________.
Deposition on LAND (Alluvial Fan)
When a fast moving
mountain stream flows
onto a flat plain, the
stream slows down and
deposits sediment. The
sediment forms an
____________________.
Alluvial fan
They form on __________
Dry land
whereas deltas form in
stream
the mouth of a _________
or ____________.
river
Erosion Caused by WAVES
When ________
waves crash into
rocks over long periods of
time, the rocks are broken
down into smaller and
smaller pieces until they
become sand.
Waves play a major role in
building up (constructive)
and breaking down
(destructive) the
shoreline
_____________________.
Erosion Caused by WAVES
Winds that result from
hurricanes
_____________
and
____________________
Severe storms
produce large waves that
cause dramatic shoreline
erosion. A tremendous
amount of ____________
is
energy
released when waves break.
A crashing wave can break
solid rock and throw broken
rocks back against the shore.
As a result of these actions,
rock is broken down into
smaller pieces that eventually
sand
become ______________.
Erosion Caused by WAVES
Some coastal landforms
created by wave erosion
are:
• Sea stacks
• Sea arches
• Sea caves
• Headlands
• Wave-cut terraces
WIND Erosion
Wind causes sand-sized
particles to bounce and
move the sand grains into
one another. The skipping
and bouncing movement of
sand-sized particles in the
direction the wind is blowing
is called _____________.
saltation
Wind can deposit extremely
fine material. Thick deposits
of this sediment are called
_________.
loess
The wind can
carry this fine material long
distances from its source.
WIND Erosion
When wind hits obstacles,
plants
like _________,
or rocks,
the wind slows down. This
slows down erosion. These
obstacles cause heavier
material (like sand) to be
deposited (constructive)
mound
forming a _____________.
These mounds of winddeposited sand are called
dunes
_____________.
ICE & GLACIER Erosion
glacier
A ___________
is an
enormous mass of moving
ice. They form in areas that
are so cold that snow stays
on the ground year-round.
Because glaciers are so
gravity
massive, ____________
causes them to flow slowly.
ICE & GLACIER Erosion
A ___________
valley
glacier (a
type of alpine glacier) forms
in valleys in mountainous
stream
areas created by ________
erosion. They flow downhill
and widen and straighten
U
the valleys into _____
shapes from the original
______
shapes.
V
ICE & GLACIER Erosion
Continental glaciers are
huge continuous masses of
________.
The largest
Ice
continental glacier in the
world covers almost all of
Antarctica
__________________.
smooth
These glaciers ___________
the landscape by scraping
and eroding features that
were around before the ice
appeared. They can flatten
mountains.
Erosion caused by GRAVITY
Movement of water and ice
is affected by __________,
gravity
and it also causes rocks and
soil to move downslope.
Sometimes gravity causes
rapid mass movement of
rock that can be the most
destructive
________________
and
very dangerous.
Erosion caused by GRAVITY
A __________
Rock-fall happens when
loose rocks fall down a steep
slope.
landslide is the sudden
A __________
and rapid movement of a
large amount of material
downslope.
slump is the most
A ________
common type of landslide.
This happens when a block of
material moves downslope
curved
over a ____________
surface.
Erosion caused by Gravity
mudflow
A ______________
is a rapid
movement of a large mass of
mud. This happens when a
large amount of water mixes
with soil and rock. Mudflows
(destructive) can carry trees,
houses, and cars.
Slow mass movement occurs
frequently than
more ____________
rapid mass movements. An
example of slow mass
creep
movement is _________.
Plants and animals can loosen
rocks and soil and cause the
rocks/soil to slowly travel
downhill.