Erosion and Deposition

On July 21, 1969, Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the surface of the Moon. The footprints that he and his crewmate, Buzz Aldrin, left on the surface remain there to this day. If you were to walk on the beach here on Earth, your footprints would likely be washed away by the waves or scattered by the wind within minutes. The main difference between the Earth and the Moon is the atmosphere. Earth contains an atmosphere, while the Moon does not. Within Earth’s atmosphere, different forces like wind, flowing water, ice, and even gravity can erode the materials at the surface. When the energy of erosion dissipates, the materials are deposited in a variety of different formations.

Essential Questions

• What are the forces of erosion and deposition?
• How do erosion and deposition affect the surface of the Earth?
• How are different depositional and erosional features formed?