Erosion and Deposition

What is Erosion and Deposition?

Within Geography, which covers maps, landforms, weather, climate, population and settlements: understand how our planet and people connect, this topic explains Erosion and Deposition. Geography explains how places, people and natural processes connect, so each topic here combines a clear definition with a visual model.

Check that you can explain Erosion and Deposition in your own words and give one example from everyday life. If you can do that, you have understood the core idea.

Understanding Erosion and Deposition helps you explain patterns on maps and in the news, and make reasoned decisions about places and environments.

Erosion and Deposition in detail

Erosion is the wearing away of the land and the removal of material by agents such as rivers, waves, ice and wind. Processes include abrasion (rocks scraping), hydraulic action (force of water), attrition (rocks breaking each other) and solution (dissolving).

Material is carried by traction, saltation, suspension or solution. Deposition happens when the agent loses energy, so it drops its load, as in river mouths or when waves slow down. The balance of erosion and deposition shapes landscapes and creates features such as valleys, deltas and beaches.

How the interactive helps you understand Erosion and Deposition

Click a step, or use the Previous and Next buttons, to move through the sequence one stage at a time. Auto-play moves on for you.

Before you change anything, predict the result. Then change one value at a time and check whether your prediction was right. This is a quick way to build a correct mental model of Erosion and Deposition.

Real-life uses and examples

• Support an answer about Erosion and Deposition with a named case study and specific evidence.
• Interpret a graph or map that shows Erosion and Deposition and say what it suggests.
• Describe a real place where Erosion and Deposition can be seen, using a map or photograph.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Writing general statements without a named place or example.
• Mixing up cause, effect and consequence when you explain Erosion and Deposition.
• Learning the definition without testing it. Use the quiz and the interactive to check that you can apply the idea.