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Earth Science for Kids

Erosion

What is erosion?

Erosion is the wearing away of the land by forces such as water, wind, and ice. Erosion has helped to form many interesting features of the Earth's surface including mountain peaks, valleys, and coastlines.

What causes erosion?

There are many different forces in nature that cause erosion. Depending on the type of force, erosion can happen quickly or take thousands of years. The three main forces that cause erosion are water, wind, and ice.

Erosion by Water

Water is the main cause of erosion on Earth. Although water may not seem powerful at first, it is one of the most powerful forces on the planet. Here are some of the ways that water causes erosion:
Erosion by Wind

Wind is a major type of erosion, especially in dry areas. Wind can erode by picking up and carrying loose particles and dust away (called deflation). It can also erode when these flying particles strike the land and break off more particles (called abrasion).

Erosion by Glaciers

Glaciers are giant rivers of ice that slowly move carving out valleys and shaping mountains. You can go here to learn more about glaciers.

Other Forces How have humans caused erosion?

Human activity has increased the rate of erosion in many areas. This happens through farming, ranching, cutting down forests, and the building of roads and cities. Human activity has caused about one million acres of topsoil to erode each year.

Erosion Control

There are things that can be done to limit the amount of erosion caused by human activity. This includes planting trees around farmland to protect it from the wind, moving herds around so that grasslands will grow back, and planting new trees to replace the ones cut down.

Interesting Facts about Erosion
Activities

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Geology
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Science >> Earth Science for Kids


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