Shaping the Earth’s surface involves a geological process called weathering.

Weathering is the
process of breaking down rocks into smaller pieces called sediments.

Different Types of Weathering

All rocks undergo weathering, and it takes a long period. There are three different types of rock
weathering: mechanical weathering, chemical weathering, and biological weathering.

 Mechanical weathering is a process wherein rocks are broken down into smaller pieces
without changing its chemical composition due to different temperatures and water. Rocks in
the highway develop cracks and small fractures because of too much exposure to heat. This
activity is an example of mechanical weathering.
 Chemical weathering is a process wherein rock materials are changed into other
substances that have different physical and chemical compositions. Some agents of
chemical weathering include water, strong acids, and oxygen. Water hydrates and breaks
the minerals in the rocks through the process of hydrolysis. Oxygen combines with metals to
produce oxides while acids from vents and volcanoes increase the speed of weathering
process. One example of chemical weathering in rocks is when rainwater hydrolyzed the
feldspar minerals to form clay minerals.
 Biological weathering is a process when living things, such as insects and roots of the
trees, contribute to the disintegration of rock materials. For example, mosses and fungi that
grow on rocks produce weak acids that can destroy or dissolve the rocks.

Erosion
Erosion is the transportation of weathered rocks. Agents like running water or rivers, wind, gravity,
groundwater, wave currents, and glaciers contribute to erosion.

Types of Erosion
 Water erosion is a type of erosion where the water carries the sediments to different parts of
the bodies of water such as rivers.
 Wind erosion happens when light materials, such as small rocks and pebbles, are carried
by wind to different places.
 Glacial erosion happens when the ice moves downhill and plucks out chunks of rocks and
causes scraping between the ice and the rock. Plucking and scraping can lead to the
development of other landforms if, for example, the glaciers hit a mountain and erode it.
 Soil erosion happens when the top soil is removed and leaves the soil infertile. This is
caused by wind or flood in an area.

Deposition
Deposition is the laying down of sediments to its depositional environment or final destination. The
depositional environment can be continental, coastal, or marine.

 Continental includes streams, swamps, caves, and deserts.

 Coastal includes lagoons, estuaries, and deltas.
 Marine includes slopes and bottom of the ocean or abyssal zone.