ErosionMelissa Breisch, Emily Kelly, and Tyler Sarkis

What is erosion?Describe to your neighbor what erosion is.

DefinitionErosion is the process by which the surface of

the Earth gets worn down.

Please get into groups of 2-3Make sure you have all the supplies for your

groupCupsSandWater, plastic chips, or pebbles

Pile your sand into the open end of the cup.Blow lightly from the open end of the cup on

the sand.Record your observations.

Pile the sand again.This time place either the water, plastic

chips, or pebbles on top of your sand to prevent it from moving.

Again, blow lightly from the open end of the cup onto the sand.

Record your observation.

What happened to the sand as you blew over it the first time?

What was the effect after you added these material and blew?

What material seems to be the most effective?

What material seems to be the least effective?

Does anyone know any examples of this in nature? Do you know what this is called?

Different Types of ErosionWind ErosionWater ErosionGlacier ErosionSoil ErosionSea Erosion

Wind ErosionDetachment, transportation, and deposit of

loose soil or sand by the action of wind.

Water ErosionThe chemicals in water will break down rocks

along the side of a river and carried downstream.

Glacier ErosionLarge pieces of ice, known as glaciers, pick

up large pieces of rock, water, and ice and displace them.

Sea ErosionWaves crash along the shore dragging rocks

and sand into the ocean.

Soil ErosionFlooding and wind can remove a layer of soil

from the ground.

Our ExperimentWhat type of erosion did we perform in our

experiment?

What are types of this in our world?

Sahara DesertThe landscape is formed by powerful winds

(as seen in our experiment when blowing the sand).

Winds will reach 100 kilometers per hour, which is about as fast as a car driving the speed limit on the high way.

It will carry the sand long distances.

The Dust BowlDuring the 1930’s, lasted about a decade.Tons of top soil were taken off fields, and

carried in huge storm clouds for hundreds of miles.

Occurred in Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas

How we effect erosionHow do you think we effect erosion?