Weathering is the breaking down of rocks and minerals through contact with the atmosphere, water, and organisms. It occurs in place with little movement. There are three main types of weathering: physical, chemical, and biological. Erosion is the process by which weathered materials are transported to another location by agents such as water, wind, ice, and gravity. The main agents that cause erosion are wind, flowing water, and sea waves, which wear down and transport soils and rocks.

1. Weathering and
Erosion

2. Weathering
 Weathering is the breaking down of rocks, soil, and minerals as
well as wood and artificial materials through contact with the
Earth's atmosphere, water, and biological organisms.Weathering
occurs in situ (on site), that is, in the same place, with little or no
movement.

3. Weathering

4. Types of
weathering
 Physical weathering: also called mechanical weathering or disaggregation,
is the class of processes that causes the disintegration of rocks without
chemical change.The primary process in physical weathering is abrasion (the
process by which clasts and other particles are reduced in size). However,
chemical and physical weathering often go hand in hand. Physical weathering
can occur due to temperature, pressure, frost etc. For example, cracks
exploited by physical weathering will increase the surface area exposed to
chemical action, thus amplifying the rate of disintegration.
 Chemical weathering: changes the composition of rocks, often transforming
them when water interacts with minerals to create various chemical reactions.
Chemical weathering is a gradual and ongoing process as the mineralogy of
the rock adjusts to the near surface environment. New or secondary minerals
develop from the original minerals of the rock. In this the processes of
oxidation and hydrolysis are most important. Chemical weathering is
enhanced by such geological agents as the presence of water and oxygen, as
well as by such biological agents as the acids produced by microbial and plant-
root metabolism.
 Biological weathering: is the weakening and subsequent disintegration of
rock by plants, animals and microbes. Growing plant roots can exert stress or
pressure on rock. Although the process is physical, the pressure is exerted by a
biological process (i.e., growing roots).

5. Physical
weathering

6. Chemical
weathering

7. Biological
weathering

8. Erosion
Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or
wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one
location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another
location.This natural process is caused by the dynamic activity of
erosive agents, that is, water, ice (glaciers), snow, air (wind), plants,
animals, and humans. In accordance with these agents, erosion is
sometimes divided into water erosion, glacial erosion, snow erosion,
wind (Aeolic) erosion, zoogenic erosion, and anthropogenic erosion.
The particulate breakdown of rock or soil into clastic sediment is
referred to as physical or mechanical erosion; this contrasts with
chemical erosion, where soil or rock material is removed from an
area by its dissolving into a solvent (typically water), followed by the
flow away of that solution. Eroded sediment or solutes may be
transported just a few millimeters, or for thousands of kilometers.

9. Agents of
Erosion
 Wind erosion: is a major geomorphological force, especially in arid
and semi-arid regions. It is also a major source of land
degradation, evaporation, desertification, harmful airborne dust,
and crop damage especially after being increased far above
natural rates by human activities such as deforestation,
urbanization, and agriculture.
 Running Water: Causes Erosion.Of all of the agents of erosion,
running water is the most powerful For our purposes running
water includes everything from precipitation like rain and snow,
streams, and rivers.When rain falls on the Earth's surface it will
always move to the lowest elevation possible.
 Sea Waves: erosion caused by sea waves dominates along coast
lines.The continuous pounding of waves weaken and break down
rocks along the coast. Moreover, rock particles and sand carried by
waves gradually wear down the rocks to form coastal physical
features such as cliffs, stacks and arches.

10. Erosion

11. Wind Erosion

12. Flowing water
Erosion

13. Sea waves
Erosion