Erosion and Deposition

Although many people use the two terms interchangeably, erosion and weathering are different terms with very different meanings. Weathering is the process of breaking rock material. Erosion is the movement of sediment to other locations on Earth. While erosion can be problematic due to the fact that the environments that experience erosion are losing precious soil, somewhere else on Earth is receiving the sediment through the process of deposition. Deposition, or the process of dropping sediment on Earth, creates new landforms and features on the surface of the Earth. Through analysis and investigation of sedimentary deposits, geologists can learn more about Earth’s history and resources.