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How does erosion work?
Quick answer
Erosion works as the gradual wearing away and carrying off of rock and soil by water, wind, ice, and gravity. Over long timescales it sculpts landscapes — carving canyons, smoothing mountains, and shaping coastlines. Water, wind, ice, and gravity break down and move rock and soil.
Step by step
- Water, wind, ice, and gravity break down and move rock and soil.
- Rivers carve valleys and canyons over time.
- Waves wear away coastlines; wind sculpts deserts.
- Glaciers grind and reshape the land as they move.
- It works slowly but dramatically over long timescales.
People also ask
What causes erosion?
The action of water, wind, ice, and gravity gradually loosening, wearing away, and transporting rock and soil.
What's the difference between weathering and erosion?
Weathering breaks rock down in place; erosion is the moving away of that broken material to somewhere else.
How did the Grand Canyon form?
Millions of years of the Colorado River eroding and carrying away rock cut the deep canyon we see today.
Part of the guide: Water & Weather Phenomena →