Weathering and Erosion What Is the Difference between Weathering and Erosion

weathering and erosion for kids there are two main processes that result in the creation or destruction of landforms weathering and erosion weathering is the process of decomposing breaking up or changing the color of rocks while erosion is the movement of rocks and sediment that have been broken apart through weathering both of these things might seem pretty similar but there are actually few key differences so what are the differences between weathering and erosion think of it this way if you break up rock into bunch of tiny little pieces the rock has gone through the process of weathering after you break up the rock you might hold some of the rock pieces in your hand and blow them away the movement of the rock pieces from your hand to somewhere else is the process of erosion here's another example beach coastlines are constantly weathering when the salty sea crashes against the coast's rocks and sand the rocks and sand then go through the process of erosion when they're carried away by wind and water this constant process of weathering and erosion along the coastline can create or destroy all kinds of new landforms like bays caves sea cliffs and coastal dunes weathering there are three main types of weathering the first is chemical weathering chemical weathering causes changes to the minerals inside or on the surface of rock this process happens through chemical reactions second is mechanical weathering mechanical weathering is caused by frost ice moving water or heat from the sun an example is when water seeps inside rock and freezes the frozen water expands causing the cracks in the rock which eventually breaks the rock into smaller pieces the last type of weathering is called biological weathering biological weathering is the process that occurs when plants animals and other living organisms cause larger rocks to be broken into smaller pieces worms and tree roots are two examples of biological weathering because in both cases the weathering happens because of living organism these three types of weathering cause rocks to break up into smaller pieces which sets the stage for erosion to take place erosion once weathering has taken place the smaller pieces of rock left over can begin to move by natural forces this is the process of erosion erosion can happen rapidly or over the course of millions of years the three main causes of erosion are water wind and ice but all different kinds of things can cause erosion to happen water can cause erosion through rain rivers waves and floods these natural events and landforms cause erosion as the water crashes into the earth gathering and moving particles along the way wind picks up and carries loose particles and dust sometimes crashing into other landforms and breaking off more particles this process is called abrasion there are massive formations of ice called glaciers these icy masses move and shift to cause erosion the forces of gravity can cause erosion too think of landslide or rock slide falling down the slope of mountain this happens because of earth's gravitational pull living organisms like plants and animals cause erosion as they move particles from place to place even humans can cause erosion although not naturally occurring humans can cause erosion through farming cutting down trees and building roads and buildings everything you do to the earth can cause all kinds of changes through erosion the sand pebbles mud or other pieces of sediment might eventually reach their final or temporary resting place when the sediment rests or deposits it is called deposition deposition is the process of sediments soil and rocks being added to landform or land masses it marks the process of erosion coming to an end and possibly results in the forming of new landform but remember weathering and erosion are happening all the time so when one of these processes has finished another process just might be starting we've learned lot of new facts so let's review what are the three different types of weathering chemical mechanical and biological what are the three main causes of erosion water wind and ice what kind of weathering happens when living organism is involved biological weathering true or false erosion only takes place over millions of years faults erosion can take place gradually over time but it can also happen quickly what's the difference between weathering and erosion weathering causes rocks to break up into smaller pieces while erosion is the process of taking these particles somewhere else great job science geniuses the next time it rains consider how each little drop of water affects the rocks and dirt it touches and when the rain settles and you see worms and snails rising from the soil think about how their movement no matter how small can change the earth beneath your feet forever hope you had fun learning with us visit us at learnbright.org for thousands of free resources and turnkey solutions for teachers and homeschoolers