Erosion | Description, Causes, Facts, & Types

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class="md-content"> <div class="md-article-container template-desktop"> <div class="infinite-scroll-container article last"> <article class="article-content container-lg qa-content px-0 pt-0 pb-40 py-lg-20 content md-expanded" data-topic-id="191809"> <div class="grid gx-0"> <div class="col-auto"> <div class="topic-left-rail md-article-drawer position-relative d-flex border-right-sm border-left-sm open"> <div class="drawer d-flex flex-column open"> <div class="left-rail-section-content"> <div class="topic-left-rail-header text-truncate bg-gray-50 position-relative text-right d-flex align-items-center"> <div class="tlr-title px-20 py-15 text-left"> <em class="material-icons text-gray-400 d-lg-none" data-icon="toc"></em> <a class="font-serif font-weight-bold text-black link-blue" href="https://www.britannica.com/science/erosion-geology">erosion</a> </div> <button aria-label="Close" class="js-sections-close-button btn-link btn-sm btn d-lg-none position-absolute top-0 p-10 right-0" > <em class="material-icons font-26" data-icon="close"></em> </button> </div> <div class="section-content pl-10 pr-20 pl-sm-50 pr-sm-60 pl-lg-5 pr-lg-10 pt-10 pt-lg-0 bg-gray-50 clear-catfish-ad"> <div class="toc mb-20"> <div class="font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-15 mb-15 mt-20"> Table of Contents </div> <ul class="list-unstyled my-0" data-level="h1"><li data-target="#ref1"><div class="pl-25"><a class="link-gray-900 w-100" href="/science/erosion-geology">Introduction</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref337524"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/science/erosion-geology#ref337524">Water erosion</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref337525"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/science/erosion-geology#ref337525">Glacial erosion</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref337526"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/science/erosion-geology#ref337526">Wind erosion</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li></ul> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="https://www.britannica.com/science/erosion-geology/additional-info">References & Edit History</a> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="/facts/erosion-geology">Related Topics</a> </div> <div class="tlr-media-slider pb-10 mb-30"> <a class="section-header link-gray-900 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mb-10 mx-10" href="https://www.britannica.com/science/erosion-geology/images-videos">Images & Videos</a> <div class="slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100 "> <div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex overflow-hidden text-nowrap ml-15"> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/83/93483-050-F3C92A22/Water-wind-glaciers-all-gravity-processes-erosion.jpg" data-href="/media/1/191809/148678" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/83/93483-004-A261F1AF/Water-wind-glaciers-all-gravity-processes-erosion.jpg" alt="erosion" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/59/140759-050-20749992/Gullies-hill-Atri-Italy.jpg" data-href="/media/1/191809/246589" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/59/140759-004-E6444CD6/Gullies-hill-Atri-Italy.jpg" alt="erosion" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/57/166357-050-2AE7A633/effects-shoreline-beach-erosion-Washington-Puget-Sound.jpg" data-href="/media/1/191809/216940" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/57/166357-004-8F52872C/effects-shoreline-beach-erosion-Washington-Puget-Sound.jpg" alt="beach erosion" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/11/155511-050-B01E3C47/valley-Arizona-Grand-Canyon-water-action.jpg" data-href="/media/1/191809/216941" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/11/155511-004-76868644/valley-Arizona-Grand-Canyon-water-action.jpg" alt="eroded valley" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/39/189939-050-CBAEC7BA/Mendenhall-Glacier-Alaska.jpg" data-href="/media/1/191809/210750" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/39/189939-004-5E402E8E/Mendenhall-Glacier-Alaska.jpg" alt="Alaska: Mendenhall Glacier" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/61/79961-050-9979947B/farmstead-wind-erosion-effects-Dust-Bowl-Okla-1937.jpg" data-href="/media/1/191809/96105" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/61/79961-004-14C26441/farmstead-wind-erosion-effects-Dust-Bowl-Okla-1937.jpg" alt="wind erosion in Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl era" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/60/7760-050-C86643CE/pediment-surfaces-flank-Arizona-Mount-Graham-pediments.jpg" data-href="/media/1/191809/1262" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/60/7760-004-8628FC29/pediment-surfaces-flank-Arizona-Mount-Graham-pediments.jpg" alt="Figure 2: Dissected pediment surfaces on the northeastern flank of Mount Graham, southeastern Arizona. The pediments are mantled with early Pleistocene–late Pliocene alluvium." height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/58/7758-050-F3A4550B/surface-Planation-sandstone-Paleozoic-Australia-James-Range.jpg" data-href="/media/1/191809/1261" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/58/7758-004-7A463B33/surface-Planation-sandstone-Paleozoic-Australia-James-Range.jpg" alt="Figure 1: Planation surface cut across dipping Paleozoic sandstone in the James Range, central Australia." height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/12/6012-004-5B1FB154/representation-cycle-carbon.jpg" data-href="/media/1/191809/618" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/12/6012-004-5B1FB154/representation-cycle-carbon.jpg" alt="Figure 1: A schematic representation of the biogeochemical cycle of carbon." height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/25/24025-004-50AAC199/gully-formation-climate-topography-soil-erosion-slopes.jpg" data-href="/media/1/191809/19386" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/25/24025-004-50AAC199/gully-formation-climate-topography-soil-erosion-slopes.jpg" alt="soil erosion" height="50" /> </a> </div> <button disabled class="prev-button js-prev-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-blue " aria-label="Previous"> <span class="material-icons md-24" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_left"></span> </button> <button disabled class="next-button js-next-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-blue " aria-label="Next"> <span class="material-icons md-24" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></span> </button> </div> </div> <div class="mb-30 tlr-student-links"> <div class="text-gray-900 p-5 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-10 mb-10"> For Students </div> <div class="imagelink-with-image-on-the-side card card-horizontal tlr-img-with-side-link ml-15 link-gray-900 mb-10" > <div class="position-relative card-media" style="flex: 0;"> <a class="ilf-image position-relative" href="/summary/erosion-geology"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/images/shared/default3.png?v=3.130.14" class="default " height="200" width="200"/> </a> </div> <div class="card-body ilf-content"> <a class="font-weight-semi-bold d-block mb-5 font-16 ilf-title" href="/summary/erosion-geology" >erosion summary</a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="mb-30 tlr-related-quizzes"> <div class="text-gray-900 p-5 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-10 mb-10"> Quizzes </div> <div class="imagelink-with-image-on-the-side card card-horizontal tlr-img-with-side-link ml-15 link-gray-900 mb-10" > <div class="position-relative card-media" style="flex: 0;"> <a class="ilf-image position-relative" href="/quiz/the-solid-earth-quiz"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/80/94580-131-EEFB2861/interior-Earth-layers-measurements-crust-mantle-core.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop" alt="Cross section of Earth showing the core, mantle, and crust" width="200" height="200" /> </a> </div> <div class="card-body ilf-content"> <a class="font-weight-semi-bold d-block mb-5 font-16 ilf-title" href="/quiz/the-solid-earth-quiz" >The Solid Earth Quiz</a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="mb-30 tlr-discover"> <div class="text-gray-900 p-5 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-10 mb-10"> Discover </div> <div class="imagelink-with-image-on-the-side card card-horizontal tlr-img-with-side-link ml-15 link-gray-900 mb-10" > <div class="position-relative card-media" style="flex: 0;"> <a class="ilf-image position-relative" href="/list/inventors-and-inventions-of-the-industrial-revolution"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/34/193634-131-F5FF783D/factories-Industrial-Revolution-workers-house-machines.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop" alt="A Factory Interior, watercolor, pen and gray ink, graphite, and white goache on wove paper by unknown artist, c. 1871-91; in the Yale Center for British Art. 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Department of Earth and Space Sciences - How Erosion Builds Mountains</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.qld.gov.au/environment/land/management/soil/erosion" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Queensland Government - Environment, land and water - Erosion</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/erosion/" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">National Geographic - Erosion</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/erosion" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">The Canadian Encyclopedia - Erosion</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://teara.govt.nz/en/soil-erosion-and-conservation/page-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand - Soil Erosion and Conservation</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://pressbooks.howardcc.edu/worldgeography/chapter/chapter-6/" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Pressbooks @ Howard Community College - Weathering and Erosion</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://geo.libretexts.org/Courses/University_of_California_Davis/GEL_109%3A_Sediments_and_Strata_(Sumner)/09%3A_Draft_Textbook/9.9%3A_Weathering_and_Erosion/9.9.2_Erosion" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Geosciences LibreTexts - Erosion</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://passel2.unl.edu/view/lesson/5653c03d7cee" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Plant and Soil Sciences e-Library - Erosion</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://slcc.pressbooks.pub/physicalgeography/chapter/5-4/" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Salt Lake Community College Pressbooks - Erosion</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://profootballresearchers.org/archives/Website_Files/Coffin_Corner/19-02-694.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Professional Football Researchers Association - Mike Webster</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.unep.org/cep/sedimentation-and-erosion" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">UN environment programme - Sedimentation and Erosion</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.qld.gov.au/environment/land/management/soil/erosion/types" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Queensland Government - Environment, land and water - Types of erosion</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="md-websites-ebk-title">Britannica Websites</div> <div class="md-websites-ebk-subtitle">Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.</div> <ul class="list-unstyled bps-topic-web-sites lh-lg"> <li><a class="external" href="https://kids.britannica.com/kids/article/erosion/399447" target="_blank" rel="noopener">erosion - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/erosion/598809" target="_blank" rel="noopener">erosion - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="toc-header-marker"></div> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 js-header-ai-ask-button d-none btn-sm btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 mr-0 mr-lg-10 ml-5 ml-sm-10 ml-lg-0 p-10"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> <div class="md-byline module-spacing "> <div class="font-serif font-12"> <span class="written-by text-gray-700"> Written and fact-checked by </span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor" href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 text-black">Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. 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This broad definition is more correctly called denudation, or <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="degradation" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/degradation" data-type="MW">degradation</a>, and includes mass-movement processes. A narrow and somewhat limiting definition of erosion excludes the transport of eroded material by natural agencies, but the exclusion of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/transport-phenomenon" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">transport phenomenon</a> makes the distinction between erosion and weathering very vague. Erosion, therefore, includes the transportation of eroded or weathered material from the point of degradation (such as the side of a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/mountain-landform" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">mountain</a> or other landform) but not the <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="deposition" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deposition" data-type="MW">deposition</a> of material at a new site. The complementary actions of erosion and deposition or sedimentation operate through the geomorphic processes of wind, moving water, and ice to alter existing landforms and create new landforms.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="246589" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/59/140759-050-20749992/Gullies-hill-Atri-Italy.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/191809/246589"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/59/140759-050-20749992/Gullies-hill-Atri-Italy.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/59/140759-050-20749992/Gullies-hill-Atri-Italy.jpg?w=300" alt="erosion" data-width="1600" data-height="1067" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/59/140759-050-20749992/Gullies-hill-Atri-Italy.jpg" data-href="/media/1/191809/246589">erosion</a><span>Gullies in an eroded hill in Atri, Italy.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">Erosion will often occur after rock has been disintegrated or altered through <span id="ref240701"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/weathering-geology" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">weathering</a>. Weathered rock material will be removed from its original site and transported away by a natural agent. With both processes often operating simultaneously, the best way to distinguish erosion from weathering is by observing the transportation of material.</p><a class="link-module shadow-sm d-block qa-quiz-module" href="/quiz/the-solid-earth-quiz" data-link-module-iframe-link=""> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/80/94580-131-EEFB2861/interior-Earth-layers-measurements-crust-mantle-core.jpg" alt="Cross section of Earth showing the core, mantle, and crust" class="rounded-sm mr-15" width="70" /> <div class="line-clamp clamp-5"> <div class="module-title bg-green">Britannica Quiz</div> <div class="font-weight-semi-bold mt-5">The Solid Earth Quiz</div> </div> </a><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="marker h2"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref337524"> <h2 class="h1">Water erosion</h2> <span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="216940" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/57/166357-050-2AE7A633/effects-shoreline-beach-erosion-Washington-Puget-Sound.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/191809/216940"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/57/166357-050-2AE7A633/effects-shoreline-beach-erosion-Washington-Puget-Sound.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/57/166357-050-2AE7A633/effects-shoreline-beach-erosion-Washington-Puget-Sound.jpg?w=300" alt="beach erosion" data-width="1600" data-height="1067" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/57/166357-050-2AE7A633/effects-shoreline-beach-erosion-Washington-Puget-Sound.jpg" data-href="/media/1/191809/216940">beach erosion</a><span>The effects of beach erosion along the shoreline in Puget Sound, Washington.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">Moving <span id="ref240702"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/water" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">water</a> is the most important natural erosional agent. The wastage of the sea<span id="ref240703"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/coast" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">coast</a>, or coastal erosion, is brought about mainly by the action of sea <span id="ref240704"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/wave-water" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">waves</a> but also, in part, by the disintegration or degradation of sea cliffs by atmospheric agents such as <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/rain" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">rain</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/frost-meteorology" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">frost</a>, and tidal scour. Sea <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/wave-water" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">wave</a> erosion is accomplished primarily by <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/hydraulics" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">hydraulic pressure</a>, the impact of waves striking the shore, and by the abrasion (wearing, grinding, or rubbing away by friction) by <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/sand" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">sand</a> and pebbles agitated incessantly by the water (<em>see</em> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/wave-cut-platform" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">wave-cut platform</a>). Wave impact and hydraulic action are usually most devastating to human-made coastal features such as <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/breakwater" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">breakwaters</a> or moles. The impact and hydraulic action of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/storm" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">storm</a> waves are the most significant upon shores composed of highly jointed or bedded rock, which are <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="vulnerable" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vulnerable" data-type="MW">vulnerable</a> to quarrying, the hydraulic plucking of blocks of rock. The abrasive action of sand and pebbles washed against <span id="ref28513"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/coastline" class="md-crosslink ">shorelines</a> is probably the most significant wave erosional activity. Particles are dragged back and forth by wave action, abrading the bedrock along the coast and abrading each other, gradually wearing pebbles into sand. Wave erosion creates retrograde, or retreating, shorelines with sea cliffs, wave-cut benches at the base of the sea cliffs, and sea arches—curved or rectangularly shaped archways that result from different rates of erosion due to varied bedrock resistance. Besides the back-and-forth <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="transportation" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/transportation" data-type="EB">transportation</a> of materials by wave action, sediments are transported by the lateral movement of waves after they wash ashore (beach drifting) or by shallow-water transport just offshore, known as longshore currents. These transportational movements lead to deposition and the formation of prograde, or advancing, shorelines, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/sandbar" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">bars</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/spit-coastal-feature" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">spits</a>, bayhead beaches (a bayhead <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/beach" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">beach</a> is formed between two headlands), and barrier beaches (a barrier beach parallels the shore).</p><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="216941" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/11/155511-050-B01E3C47/valley-Arizona-Grand-Canyon-water-action.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/191809/216941"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/11/155511-050-B01E3C47/valley-Arizona-Grand-Canyon-water-action.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/11/155511-050-B01E3C47/valley-Arizona-Grand-Canyon-water-action.jpg?w=300" alt="eroded valley" data-width="1600" data-height="1600" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/11/155511-050-B01E3C47/valley-Arizona-Grand-Canyon-water-action.jpg" data-href="/media/1/191809/216941">eroded valley</a><span>A valley within the Grand Canyon in Arizona created by the scouring action of moving water.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">In <span id="ref28514"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/river" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">rivers</a> and <span id="ref28515"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/estuary" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">estuaries</a>, the erosion of banks is caused by the scouring action of the moving water, particularly in times of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/flood" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">flood</a> and, in the case of estuaries, also by the tidal flow on the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/ebb-tide" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">ebb tide</a> when <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/river" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">river</a> and tidewater <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="combine" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/combine" data-type="EB">combine</a> in their erosive action. This scouring action of the moving water entrains (that is, draws in and transports) sediments within the river or stream load. These entrained sediments become instruments of erosion as they abrade one another in suspended transport or as they abrade other rock and soil as they are dragged along the river bottom, progressively entraining additional sediments as long as the river’s volume and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/velocity" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">velocity</a> of the stream continues to increase. As the velocity of the river decreases, the suspended sediments will be deposited, creating landforms such as broad <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/alluvial-fan" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">alluvial fans</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/floodplain" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">floodplains</a>, sandbars, and river <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/delta-river-system-component" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">deltas</a>. The land surface unaffected by rivers and streams is subjected to a <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="continuous" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/continuous" data-type="EB">continuous</a> process of erosion by the action of rain, snowmelt, and frost, the resulting <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/detritus" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">detritus</a> (organic debris) and sediment being carried into the rivers and thence to the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/ocean" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">ocean</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span> </section> <span class="marker h3"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref337525"> <h2 class="h1">Glacial erosion</h2> <span class="marker PREMOD6 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="210750" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/39/189939-050-CBAEC7BA/Mendenhall-Glacier-Alaska.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/191809/210750"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/39/189939-050-CBAEC7BA/Mendenhall-Glacier-Alaska.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/39/189939-050-CBAEC7BA/Mendenhall-Glacier-Alaska.jpg?w=300" alt="Alaska: Mendenhall Glacier" data-width="1600" data-height="809" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/39/189939-050-CBAEC7BA/Mendenhall-Glacier-Alaska.jpg" data-href="/media/1/191809/210750">Alaska: Mendenhall Glacier</a><span>Mendenhall Glacier, southeastern Alaska, U.S.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph"><span id="ref28516"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/glaciation" class="md-crosslink ">Glacial</a> erosion occurs in two principal ways: through the abrasion of surface materials as the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/ice" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">ice</a> grinds over the ground (much of the abrasive action being attributable to the debris embedded in the ice along its base); and by the quarrying or plucking of rock from the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/glacier" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">glacier</a> bed. The eroded material is transported until it is deposited or until the glacier melts.</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD6 mod-inline"></span> </section> <span class="marker h4"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref337526"> <h2 class="h1">Wind erosion</h2> <span class="marker PREMOD7 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">In some arid and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/desert" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">desert</a> tracts, <span id="ref28517"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/wind" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">wind</a> has an important effect in bringing about the erosion of rocks by driving <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/sand" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">sand</a>, and the surface of sand dunes not held together and protected by vegetation is subject to erosion and change by the drifting of blown sand. This action erodes material by deflation—the removal of small loose particles—and by sandblasting of landforms by wind-transported material. Continued <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/deflation-geomorphology" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">deflation</a> of loose particles from <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/landform-134931" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">landforms</a> leaves behind larger particles that are more resistant to deflation. Wind action transports eroded material above or along the surface of Earth either by <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/turbulent-flow" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">turbulent flow</a> (in which particles move in all directions) or by <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/laminar-flow" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">laminar flow</a> (in which <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="adjacent" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adjacent" data-type="MW">adjacent</a> sheets of air slip past one another). The transportation of wind-eroded material continues until the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/velocity" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">velocity</a> of the wind can no longer sustain the size particle being transported or until the windblown particles collide with or cling to a surface feature.</p><div class="module-spacing"> <DIV class="marketing-INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION marketing-content" data-marketing-id="INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION"><style> .student-promo-banner-wrapper { container-type: inline-size; margin-bottom: 15px; } @container (min-width: 475px) { .student-promo-banner { flex-direction: row; } .student-promo-banner-img-wrapper { margin-bottom: 0; margin-right: 10px; justify-content: flex-start; } .student-promo-banner-text-wrapper { text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; } .student-promo-banner-button-wrapper { margin-right: 0; } }</style> <div class="student-promo-banner-wrapper"> <div class="student-promo-banner d-flex flex-column align-items-center bg-blue rounded p-20"> <div class="student-promo-banner-img-wrapper mb-20 mr-0 d-flex justify-content-center"> <img class="rounded" style="max-width: 100px; min-width: 80px" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/marketing/BlueThistle.webp" /> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-text-wrapper ml-0 mb-10 text-center text-white"> <div class="h2 mb-10">Get Unlimited Access</div> <div class="h4 font-weight-semi-bold">Try Britannica Premium for free and discover more.</div> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-button-wrapper d-flex justify-content-center align-items-center ml-auto mr-auto"> <a class="btn btn-m btn-orange" href="https://premium.britannica.com/premium-membership/?utm_source=premium&utm_medium=inline-cta&utm_campaign=black-friday-2024">Subscribe</a> </div> </div> </div> </DIV></div><span class="marker MOD7 mod-inline"></span> <span class="md-signature"><a href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</a></span> </section><span class="md-signature">This article was most recently revised and updated by <a href="/editor/John-P-Rafferty/6747">John P. 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Erosion | Description, Causes, Facts, & Types | Britannica