Lesson 1 Chapter 9 The Erosion and Deposition Process

Reshaping Earths Surface The changes that people make to a landscape on a construction site are small examples of those that happen naturally to Earths surface. Constructive and deconstructive processes produce landforms. Constructive processes build landforms, whereas deconstructive processes tear down features on earth. Weathering A type of destructive process is weathering, the breakdown of rock. There is two main types of weathering; chemical and physical. Chemical weathering changes the chemical composition of a rock. Physical weathering breaks rock into pieces, called sediment, but does not alter the chemical composition. Water, wind, and ice are called agents, or causes, of weathering. Water can dissolve minerals in rock, wind can grind and polish rock, and ice can break apart rock by freezing inside them. Erosion Weathered material is often transported away from its source of rock. Erosion is the removal of weathered material from one location to another. Erosion can occur through water, wind, glaciers, and gravity. Muddy water is evidence of erosion.