Philippine Science High School

Earth Science Learning Guide

Guide Code: 9.0 Erosion and Mass Wasting
Lesson Code: 9.1 Erosion and Mass Wasting Time Limit 30 min

TARGET

After you complete this module, you are expected to:

1. Differentiate weathering, erosion, and mass wasting; and
2. Identify the types of mass wasting.

HOOK
“In every curving beach, in every grain of sand, there is a story of the Earth.” – Rachel Carson, an
environmentalist.

Have you gone to the beach and watched how the ocean’s wave roll on the shore? You might
have noticed how the sand particles get washed up on the beach and then carried away by the ocean’s
waves. Now, have you ever wondered where the sand on the beach came from? Were there sand
particles already there from the beginning?

The sand particles you see on the beach come from different locations, in various places around
the world. It is produced when rocks are broken down to smaller pieces by the forces of nature. These
rocks were originally carried by rivers and streams, gradually disintegrating throughout the process.
When they reach the ocean, they are further broken down by the ocean’s waves and tides. The
processes involved in the transformation of rocks and their transport are weathering and erosion
which will be discussed in the next part.

Figure 1. Ocean waves crashing into the shore. (Image from unsplash.com)

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 IGNITE

Earth’s surface is always changing. Rocks disintegrate and break down to smaller particles and
can be transported to other areas by mobile forces such as wind and water. Solar energy is the driving
force behind the Earth’s weather and climate. The uneven heating of the surface and the atmosphere
results to formation of air pressure and wind. These processes that are mainly powered by the energy
from the Sun are called external processes because they occur at or near the surface of the Earth.
External processes include weathering, erosion, and mass wasting. How do we differentiate these
three external processes?

I. Weathering
- is the physical breakdown and chemical alteration of rocks at or near the Earth’s
surface (Tarbuck & Lutgens, 2014). There are two types of weathering –
mechanical and chemical.
-
a. Mechanical weathering is the process of breaking down of rocks into much
smaller pieces, with each piece keeping the original composition of the large
piece. The physical processes which contribute to the decomposition of rocks
include frost wedging, salt crystal growth, and biological activities. Frost
wedging occurs in places which experience winter and summer. During
warmer times of the year, rainwater seeps through pores and cracks in rocks.
When winter comes, the water inside the spaces in the rock freezes, which
causes the cracks to expand, and eventually fractures and breaks off.

Figure 2. Diagram of how frost wedging occurs. (Image from Sandeen et al. at CK-12 Foundation, licensed
CC BY 2.0).

Salt crystal growth occurs in places near the seashore when seawater gets into
the pore spaces in rocks. When this water evaporates, salt crystals form in the
spaces. Rocks eventually break apart when the growth of salt crystals continue.
Biological activities play a large role in the mechanical weathering of rocks.
Large tree roots may cause rocks to fracture, burrowing animals may abrade
surrounding rocks, and human activities such as excavation and extraction in
mine sites.

b. Chemical weathering involves various processes that can change or alter the
rock’s mineralogical composition through different chemical reactions. One
example is when sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere is incorporated in the
rainclouds, it creates an acidic precipitation commonly called as acid rain.
Acid rain can cause permanent damage to structures.

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 Figure 3. The Statue of Liberty, which was originally coated in copper, is now in a shade of green. Image
retrieved from https://sites.google.com/a/rsu20.org/weather6mariahm/home/effects-of-my-weather-event.

II. Erosion
- The physical process by which sediments are removed and being transported to
other places by mobile agents – wind, water, ice, and gravity. The distinct
difference between weathering and erosion is that the latter involves movement
and transport of sediments from one location to another.

a. Water
- Any moving water can aide the transport of sediments. The higher the
energy of the body of water, the higher the sediment load and size it can
carry. Rivers with faster currents can transport boulders of rocks compared
to a calmer lake. The materials move along the water in three (3) ways
according to their relative sizes:
a. Silt or clay-sized particles remain in suspension due to the water’s motion and
will only settle down to the bottom if energy of the water wanes.
b. Saltation is the hop-like movement of sand-sized particles along the direction
of water.
c. Traction is the rolling or dragging of larger-sized particles such as gravel or
boulder along the riverbed.

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 Figure 4. Movement of particles as they are carried by water currents. Image by Pearson Prentice Hall, Inc.
(2005).

Erosion by water does not only involve rivers and streams, ocean waves can also remove particles
along coastlines. Hydraulic action is the removal of sediments as the ocean waves hit cliffs near
coasts. Coastal erosion threatens structures built along cliffs as loss of land due to the destructive
waves constantly wearing away sediments.

Figure 5. Coastal erosion of sea cliffs at Happisburgh, Norfolk, United Kingdom. Image by Andrew Dunn
(2006), licensed under Wikimedia Commons.

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 b. Wind
- Wind erosion is common to arid environments such as deserts. Silt or
clay-sized particles can get suspended in the air, sand-sized particles
bounce on the ground, and larger sized particles can be dragged on the
surface by winds. Constant removal and deposition of particles often
result to formation of landforms. One example are sand dunes.

Figure 5. Sand dunes in Abu Dhabi. Image by Fintan Corrigan (2014), licensed under Wikimedia Commons.

c. Ice
- Ice in the form of glaciers cause erosion. Glaciers are dense mass of ice
that move under their own weight. They remove particles through
plucking and abrasion. Plucking occurs when meltwater at the base of
the glaciers seeps through cracks and spaces of rocks, freezes, and
eventually breaks off. The moving ice then “plucks” the broken off pieces
of rocks and get carried away by glaciers. Abrasion occurs when the
plucked sediments at the base of the glacier scrapes the ground, eventually
forming U-shaped valleys.

Figure 6. Plucking and abrasion by glaciers. Image from Lumen Learning.

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 III. Mass Wasting
- Refers to the downslope movement of rock, soil, or regolith under the direct influence of
gravity (Tarbuck & Lutgens, 2014). Mass wasting does not require a transporting agent,
unlike water, wind, or glacial erosion. Earth’s surface is not uniformly flat but is comprised
of varied slopes. Rolling hills have gentle slopes and high mountain ranges have steep
slopes. Although most of them are stable, there are some that are unstable because of the
constant downslope movement of sediments. These movements can range from very slow
rates up to dangerously quick and instantaneous occurrences. Mass wasting is also
commonly called as landslides, which is a layman’s term used to refer to sudden collapse
or downward movement of soil or rocks.

- Although mass wasting occurs due to the influence of gravity, many natural and
anthropogenic factors can trigger its onset. These factors include high saturation in water,
over steepened slopes, removal of vegetation, and earthquakes.

A. Triggers of Mass Wasting

1. Water
During heavy rains, large volume of water can seep through the pore spaces of soil and can
add more weight to the landmass causing it to slide or flow down the slope.

2. Over steepened Slopes

Unstable slopes are usually the main triggers of mass wasting. Depending on the size and
shape of the individual particles, slopes can only assume a certain angle for it to be stable
– the angle of repose, which will be further discussed in the next lesson.

3. Removal of Vegetation
Plants prevent the removal of soil because their roots bind the regolith together. The trees’
foliage also protects the soil from the erosion caused by raindrops and precipitation.
Removal of vegetation can contribute to the instability of slopes.

4. Earthquakes
Sudden shaking of the ground can dislodge materials on slopes, especially the already
unstable ones. Earthquakes and its aftershocks often cause destructive landslides in areas
with steep slopes.

B. Types of Mass Wasting

Mass wasting can be generally classified by their type of motion and rate of movement.
The types of movement of soil or regolith can be described as fall, slide, or flow.

When materials are dislodged and freely falls in individual pieces at any size, it is classified
as a fall. When materials move as one unit along a well-defined surface it is classified as a
slide. When materials move downslope as a viscous unit, it is classified as a flow. Flows
often involve water saturation of soil or regolith.

The rate of movement can be at a very slow rate, ranging from a few millimeters of
movement every year, or it can be at a dangerously high velocity movement, travelling up
to hundreds of kilometers per hour. High-velocity movement of materials is due to the air
trapped beneath the soil or regolith which allows it to move like a sheet.

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 NAVIGATE

NON-GRADED ASSESSMENT: CROSSWORD PUZZLE

Instructions: Complete the crossword below by filling out the boxes which correspond to the
description given.

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 KNOT

Weathering, erosion, and mass wasting are natural processes that continually decompose,
remove, and transport particles or sediments. These are referred to as external processes because they
occur at or near the Earth’s surface and they are mainly powered by the energy from the Sun.
Weathering is the physical breakdown of rocks or the chemical alteration of its mineralogical
structure. Erosion is the removal of sediments and transport to other locations by mobile agents –
water, wind, and ice. Mass wasting is the downslope movement of soil or regolith due to the influence
of gravity. Mass wasting processes can be classified by their type of motion and their rate of
movement.

References:

BBC. Erosion - Coastal processes - AQA - GCSE Geography Revision - AQA - BBC Bitesize.
BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zt6r82p/revision/4.

Tarbuck, E. J., & Lutgens, F. K. (2015). Earth Science (14th ed.). Pearson Education Inc.

The Geological Society of London. (2012). Erosion and Transport. Retrieved from
https://www.geolsoc.org.uk/ks3/gsl/education/resources/rockcycle/page3462.html on
September 13, 2020.

US Department of Commerce, NOAA. (2017, August 14). How does sand form? NOAA's
National Ocean Service. https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/sand.html.

Worksheet Generator. Maker | Education.com. https://www.education.com/worksheet-

generator/reading/crossword-puzzle/.

Prepared by: Myre Adrienne Jade Gesulga Reviewed by: Carmina S. Dalida
Position: Special Science Teacher I Position: Special Science Teacher III
Campus: SOCCSKSARGEN Campus: Main

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released to third parties with approval of management. Document is uncontrolled unless otherwise marked; uncontrolled documents are
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