Erosion in California

1
Erosion in California

• Lesson 2 Lecture

2
Erosion in California

• Weathering breaks down rock
• Erosion moves the broken pieces of rock
• Deposition places the pieces in a new spot
• There are three main causes of erosion
• Water
• Wind
• Ice in the form of glaciers
• Plants can help limit erosion by water and wind.

3
Erosion by Water

• Water causes the most erosion, and is known as
  the dominant process.
• Mountains, beaches, deserts, forests, and plains
  are all eroded by the sediment carried in moving
  water.
• Water runs faster down a steeper slope, and
  therefore carries more sediment and causes more
  erosion.
• A greater volume of water will also carry more
  sediment and cause more erosion.

4
Erosion by Water
Deserts
Mountains
Coastlines
Beach cliffs
5
Erosion by Wind

• Wind moves ocean water into waves and causes
  coastal erosion.
• Wind moves sand in deserts, creating sand dunes.
• Wind is the weakest form of erosion.

6
Erosion by Glacier

• Glaciers form high in mountains.
• The weight of the ice is pulled downhill by
  gravity and carries rock along as it moves,
  gouging the land below it.
• The Sierra Nevadas still have small glaciers.

7
Deposits of Sediment

• Water forms canyons and deposits the sediment at
  the base of the mountain in a landform called an
  alluvial fan.
• Water in rivers can also form deltas where the
  river meets the ocean.