Weathering, Erosion, Deposition

Weathering – the breakdown of rocks into smaller

pieces, called sediments.

Erosion – the process where the sediments are

transported by wind, gravity, glaciers, man, and running
water.

Deposition – the process whereby these sediments are

released by their transporting agents (dropped).
Weathering breaks down the rocks, erosion moves the particles,
and deposition drops the sediments in another location.

1
Soil forms from the weathering of the rock below it. The solid rock below is
called Bedrock. The rock is exposed to wind, rain etc… The rock breaks down
over time to form soil. Soil has different layers called Soil Horizons.
O- Horizon = the very thin surface covering (not really a layer)
A – Horizon (TOPSOIL) = dark surface soil that contains a lot of
living material and dead plant/animal remains (humus). This is the
layer with all of the nutrients needed to grow plants.
B-Horizon (SUBSOIL) = lighter colored soil with less nutrients and
more clay
C-Horizon (REGOLITH) = larger rock fragments that sit on top of
the unweathered bedrock 2
 There are 2 types of soil:

1. Transported
2. Residual

Transported Soils – soils that formed in one place and were

transported to their present location by glaciers. You can tell
when the soil does not chemically match the bedrock below it.
Residual Soils – soils that are located above the rocks that they
formed from. In other words, the soil chemically matches the
bedrock below it, because it is a product of that rock’s weathering
over time. 3
 Erosion
• The process by which water, ice, wind or
gravity moves fragments of rock and soil.
 Water Erosion
• Rivers, streams, and runoff
 Ice Erosion
• Glaciers
Wind Erosion
 Mass Movements
• Landslides, mudslides, slump

landslide clip.mpeg
There are 5 ways that man can cause erosion:
1. Forestry – all vegetation of removed,
and without roots, the soil will erode
away.
2. Strip Mining – removing rock cover to
get to the resources below, which
causes the loose sediments to erode
away.
3. Construction – the clearing of land to
build buildings/houses also causes all
loose soil to erode away.
4. Improper Farming – not plowing the
land at right angles to slopes causes soil
to erode away.
5. Salting Highways – the salt is washed
off the road to the sides, where it
prevents vegetative growth along the
sides. 9
 Erosion (transport)
There are 5 main agents of erosion:
1. *Running Water*
2. Glaciers
3. Wind
4. Gravity Weathering has to happen before erosion.
5. Man The rocks have to be broken into smaller
sediments before they can be eroded away.

Wind Erosion

Glacier

10
 Stream erosion is the greatest at waterfalls.
Erosion at waterfalls is called undermining.
Which rock layer appears to be the least resistant (weakest)? _______
Which rock layer appears to be the most resistant (strongest)? _______
Resistant rocks usually form steep cliffs and waterfalls, by sticking
out further than the lower layers.
11
There are 4 basic products of weathering, that can be eroded:
1. Soils
2. Solid Sediments (boulders, cobbles, pebbles, sand, silt)
3. Colloids/Clay Particles (not visible to your eye)
4. Ions (very small electrically charged particles)

12

It will not be there forever!!
There is a pile of weathered
material at the bottom. It is
slowly being eroded down hill
by gravity.
13
You can identify which agent of erosion transported each sediment by looking at
a few characteristics:
Running Water – sediments that have been transported through
running water appear rounded and smooth and are deposited in
sorted piles.
Glaciers – sediments that have been transported by glaciers appear
scratched, and are deposited in completely unsorted piles,
because they were dropped during melting. Also, boulders can
only be transported by glaciers.
Wind - sediments that have been transported by wind are appear
pitted (random holes) and frosted (glazed look) and are deposited
in sorted piles. Only very small particles can be transported by
wind.
Gravity – sediments that are transported by gravity are found in
piles at the bottom of cliffs or steep slopes. They appear angular
and unsorted.
14
Extreme Wind Erosion Melbourne dust storm, 1983
The rocks to the right were transported by running
water. How can you tell? _______________

Glacial
(scratches)
15
 Stream Erosion
• Stream erosion (and deposition)
controlled by flow velocity and discharge
– Stream velocity controlled by stream gradient
(slope), channel shape and channel roughness
• Maximum velocity near center of channel
– Floods involve increased velocity and
discharge (volume of water passing a
particular point in a stream over time)

• Higher stream velocities promote erosion

and transport of coarser sediments
– Erosion of very small particles difficult due
to molecular binding forces
 Stream Erosion
• Stream gradient is the downhill slope of the streambed
– Typically measured in feet per mile in the U.S., and in meters
per kilometer elsewhere
– Usually decreases downstream
• Channel shape and roughness
– Both effect stream velocity due to drag
– Narrower, deeper channels allow faster flow
– Smoother channels allow faster flow
– Wider, shallower channels decrease flow speed
– Rougher channels decrease flow speed
• Stream discharge is the volume of water flowing past a
given point in a unit of time
 Stream Erosion
• Streams cut their own valleys, deepening
and widening them over time and carrying
away the sediment
• Stream erosion occurs by three
mechanisms: hydraulic action, solution,
and abrasion
– Hydraulic action - ability of flowing water to
pick up and move rock and sediment
– Solution - dissolving of rocks (e.g., limestone)
– Abrasion - grinding away of stream channel
by the friction and impact of the sediment load
• Potholes are eroded into streambed by the
abrasive action of the sediment load in the stream
 Running water can transport sediment in three ways:

1. Solution – the smallest particles of weathering are dissolved in

the water and they are transported in a solution.
2. Suspension – clay sized/colloids are carried along with the water
molecules during erosion. They are neither at the bottom or on
the top. They are suspended in the middle of the running water.
3. Saltation – solid sediments are rolled and bounces along the
bottom of a river.stream because they are more dense.

19
Erosion vocabulary and facts:
The sediments that are being transported by the river/stream are
traveling a little bit slower than the water. This is because of
friction.
Stream/River Bed – the bottom of a stream or river.

Bed Load – the material being transported along the bottom of a

river/stream (rocks and pebbles).

Downcutting – when weathering and erosion, along with the

running water, cause the stream/river to become wider and deeper
over time. Younger streams/rivers are more shallow and narrow.
Older rivers/streams are wider and much deeper.

20
Factors that influence erosional rates (speed) in
running water and glacial ice:

1. Slope (gradient) of the land – as slope increases, the water

velocity increases, the particle size that the water can carry
also increases, therefore the amount of erosion increases.
2. Volume (size of the water or glacier) – as the volume of the
water or glacier increases, their velocities increase, the
particle size that they can carry also increases, therefore the
amount of erosion increases.
3. Position within the running water – Water is traveling
faster around the outside of turns, therefore that is where
more erosion occurs. Water is traveling slower on the inside
of turns, therefore deposition occurs on the inside.

21
 Deposition – the process where sediments are
released/dropped by their agent of erosion.
Most deposition happens in standing/still bodies of water
(oceans/lakes).
Deposition is caused by the slowing down (loss of kinetic energy)
of the agent of erosion.
There are 3 factors that influence the rate of sediment deposition:
1. Sediment size –

2. Sediment shape –

3. Sediment density -
22
Graded Bedding/Vertical Sorting – a situation where larger
particles settle on the bottom and smaller particles settle towards the
top. This happens naturally when a fast moving river/stream meets
a large standing body of water. This happens because the velocity
of the water decreases very quickly. (A waterfall emptying into a
lake)

23
Horizontal Sorting – a situation where moving water enters a
larger, still body of water slowly, and causes the larger particles to
be deposited closer to the shoreline. Particle size decreases as you
move away from the shore.

24
Cross-Bedding – a situation where
layers of sediments are deposited
at angles to one another as a result
of a change of direction of the
erosional agent.
These are usually found in sand
dunes, deltas, and alluvial fans.

25
 Deposition
Rock particles that are picked up and transported during
erosion will ultimately be deposited somewhere else

Deposition is the process by which sediments (small

particles of rock) are laid down in new locations.
• Together, Erosion and Deposition build new landforms.
• Deltas
• Canyons
• Meanders
• Valleys
 Meandering (Curving) River/Stream
Deposition
Erosion
happens
happens
on the
on the
inside of
outside of
turns.
turns.

Sediments
are Straight Flowing River/Stream Running
traveling
the fastest Water
in the
center
directly
below the
surface. 27
28
 Meanders

Stream Velocity varies from one side to the other side of the
“S”, resulting in erosion in some places and deposition of
sediments in others.
Meanders
Ox Bow lake on Mississippi
 Delta

Where rivers meet the

ocean is called the
mouth of the river. Soil
and dirt carried by these
rivers is deposited at the
mouth, and new land is
formed. The new, soil-
rich land is known as a
Delta
Delta – a fan shaped deposit that forms at the mouth of a
river/stream when it enters a larger body of water. This is seen
under the water. The particles are horizontally sorted.

33
 Delta Formation

WHAT IS A DELTA?

DEPOSITON OF MATERIAL BY THE RIVER

WHEN IT ENTERS THE SEA

WHY DOES IT DROP ITS SEDIMENT

Alluvial Fan - a fan shaped deposit of sediments that forms
when a stream/river flows out of a mountain on to flat, dry plains.
These are not under water and are very visible. This only
happens on the land. You can call it a “land delta”.

35
 Canyons

This simple animation provides you

with a visualization of how the
Colorado River has "downcut" into
the rock layers of the Grand Canyon.

How long it took to carve the Grand

Canyon is debated by
geologists.

Canyons are large valleys

created by a river or
stream.
 Floodplains
• Floodplains form along the
banks of mid-order streams
and larger rivers.
• These are low-lying areas
along the sides of a river
channel that have regular
times of heavy waterflow to
cause the river to spill over
and flood the land.
Stages of a River
Stage:Upper Course

1. Source

2. Waterfall
4
3 3. V-shaped valley

4. Steep sided valley

5. Interlocking
Stages of a River
Stage: Middle Course

6. Gentle Valley Sides

7. Flood-plain

8. Meander
Stages of a River
Stage: Lower Course

9. Ox-bow lake

10. Mouth
Formation of V-Shaped Valleys
erosion is mainly vertical
river in its upper course has much energy
so erosion takes place

the steep slopes suffer from weathering

erosion by the river undercuts the slope

making it unstable
Weathered material travels
downslope to wards the river

weathered material is used to erode the river

channel further by abrasion
 V-Shaped Valleys
• V-shaped valleys get their name from their shape.
The river erodes the landscape and creates a valley
in the shape of a V.

• This occurs because of Vertical Erosion. The river

cuts down into the river bed, making it deeper. It
creates a narrow deep valley. Mechanical
weathering and mass movement create the V
shape. See Diagram.
V-Shaped Valleys
 Interlocking
• As the rivers flows it meets areas of hard
rock. It cannot erode these so it flows
around them.

• This creates a zigzag course. See Diagram.

 River Transportation
All rivers carry material in them. This material is carried by
the river as it flows along.

Rivers can carry large stones, small stones, sand, and

other dissolved minerals.

All of this material in the river is called the river’s Load

When the river moves its load we call this River Transportation
 River Transportation
• Transportation occurs in 4 ways.

• 1. Rolling
• 2. Bouncing
• 3. Suspension
• 4. Solution
 River Transportation

Suspensio Solution
n

Rolling Bouncin
g
 Rolling
• Rolling – The large stones are rolled along the bed of
the river.

Rolling
 Bouncing
Bouncing – The smaller pebbles are bounced
along the bed of the river.

Bouncing
 Suspension
Suspension – Light material like sand and silt are
carried along (floating) in the water.
 Solution
4. Solution – Dissolved materials are carried along by the
river.

Solution