WEATHERING, EROSION AND

DEPOSITION
PREPARED BY: JHUNEL P. PARCO
•Have you visited the islands in Caramoan
or other islands in Bicol Region similar in
land features? Caramoan is an
internationally famous tourist destination
in Camarines Sur. What is in this island
that makes it attractive to tourists?
• Rock formations and the white beach in Caramoan islands add
wonder to the natural landscape. These features are due to a
series of geologic processes occurring at the Earth’s surface
known as the exogenic processes. These include weathering,
erosion and deposition. These processes break rocks into
smaller particles and transport them to lower locations through
the action of natural agents like wind, water and ice. Together,
they carve and change the shape of rocks, giving rise to
interesting formations
LET US UNLOCK SOME UNFAMILIAR TERMS THAT
YOU WILL ENCOUNTER;
• 1.
Weathering is the breaking down of rock material into smaller sizes
through mechanical and chemical means.
• Thawing is the process by which ice turns from solid to liquid
or semi-liquid state
• Erosion is the removal and transport of rock materials from
their original location to another location
•Arid means an extremely dry land.
• Grooves are long cuts or indentations on hard materials
like rocks.
• Striations refers to scratches or lines that usually run
parallel each other.
• Deposition is the process by which sediments are
dropped off by agents of erosion.
• Solifluction refers to the slow downslope movement of
water-saturated soil.
• Permafrost is a layer under the Earth’s surface that has
been frozen permanently or for a very long time.
•Exogenic processes are geological processes
occurring at the earth’s surface.
LET US EXPLORE WEATHERING, EROSION
AND DEPOSITION BY DOING THESE
ACTIVITIES.
ACTIVITY 1 BREAK IT DOWN
 IDENTIFY THE TYPE OF WEATHERING THAT CAUSED THE
BREAKING OF ROCK IN EACH SITUATION BELOW. WRITE
“MECHANICAL WEATHERING” OR “CHEMICAL WEATHERING”

• 1. Rock expands when hot and contracts when cold. Repeated

expansion and contraction split a rock into pieces.
• 2. Burrowing animals loosened rock particles and broke them apart.
• 3. Naturally-formed acid came in contact with a rock. After several
years, minerals in rock disintegrated and turned into sediments.
• 4. Oxygen in water reacted with iron in rocks forming rust. Due to
rusting, the rock became brittle and later broke into fine particles.
• 5. A boulder rolled down a cliff then shattered into pieces upon hitting
the base.
 FACTORS AFFECTING WEATHERING

•1.climate
•2. rock type,
•3.rock structure,
•4.slope
•5. duration of exposure.
 EROSION AND DEPOSITION
• When rock particles are moved from one place to another, the process is
called erosion. As agents of erosion carry the rock particles, they lose
energy until such point that they can no longer hold them. Rock
sediments are then dropped to certain locations, usually of lower
elevation. Deposition is the process by which sediments are dropped
off by agents of erosion.

• Erosion and deposition are facilitated primarily by gravity, along with

the other erosion agents- water, wind, and glaciers .
 AGENTS OF EROSION

• • Water - Rainwater that does not soak or evaporate runs over

the ground, carrying with it rock particles. This surface runoff
eventually enters a body of water such as streams, lakes and
oceans. As water continues to move along, it picks up sediments
• Wind - Loose rock and soil particles are carried away by wind
and are deposited at other places. Wind is capable of
transporting light particles over large areas thousands of
kilometers away.
• Glaciers - Glacier is a large mass of ice and snow that forms in colder
parts of the world. As glaciers move across land, they erode solid rocks
and deposit eroded materials somewhere. When ice at the base of a
glacier melts, water penetrates the pores and cracks of the rock beneath
it. As water refreezes, rock fragments are plucked by the ice and are
dragged along to different locations.
• Gravity - Gravity is a major force that drives erosion and deposition.
Soil and weathered materials in high elevations like hills and mountain
are pulled down by gravity. Loose rocks on a steep slope may roll
downside and deposit 13 materials at the base. The downslope
movement of large amounts of soil and rock particles due the effect of
gravity is called mass wasting or mass movement. Mass wasting can
be slow or fast.