5th Grade Science Article
Earth’s surface is always changing. Mountains rise, rivers carve deep paths, and coastlines shift over time. These changes don’t happen overnight. Instead, they are caused by three important processes: weathering, erosion, and deposition. Together, these processes break down rocks, move sediments, and build new landforms.
Weathering is the breaking down of rocks into smaller pieces. It can happen in two main ways: physical weathering and chemical weathering.
Physical (mechanical) weathering happens when rocks are broken apart without changing what they are made of. For example, tree roots can grow into cracks and break rocks apart, or water can freeze inside cracks and expand, causing the rock to split.
Chemical weathering changes the rock’s minerals. One example is acid rain dissolving rock, especially limestone. Rusting is another type of chemical weathering that happens when iron in rocks reacts with oxygen.
No matter the type, weathering is the first step in shaping Earth’s surface.
Once rocks are broken into smaller pieces, those pieces can be moved. This movement is called erosion. Water, wind, ice, and gravity are the main agents of erosion.
Rivers can carry sediments downstream and carve out deep canyons over millions of years.
Waves crash against coastlines, slowly wearing away cliffs and shaping beaches.
Wind can pick up sand and move it across deserts.
Glaciers, which are huge moving sheets of ice, scrape the land beneath them. As they move, they carve out U‑shaped valleys.
Gravity can pull rocks downhill in landslides or rockfalls.
Erosion is powerful because it transports sediments from one place to another.
Eventually, the forces of erosion slow down. When water, wind, or ice loses energy, it drops the sediments it was carrying. This process is called deposition.
Deposition creates many different landforms:
When a river slows down as it enters the ocean, it drops sediments and forms a delta.
When wind slows down, it drops sand and builds sand dunes.
When ocean waves lose energy, they deposit sand along the shore, helping beaches grow.
Deposition is how new land is built.
Weathering, erosion, and deposition are connected. Weathering breaks rocks into smaller pieces. Erosion moves those pieces. Deposition drops them in a new place. Over long periods of time, these processes shape the world around us.
For example, a mountain can be broken down by weathering. Rivers can erode the sediments and carry them away. When the river reaches the ocean, it slows down and deposits the sediments, forming a delta. This cycle never stops.
Earth’s surface is always changing, even if we don’t notice it happening. Beaches gain and lose sand. Rivers carve deeper channels. Glaciers reshape valleys. Waves shape coastlines. These changes may take thousands or millions of years, but they are always happening.
By understanding weathering, erosion, and deposition, we can better understand how Earth’s landforms were created — and how they will continue to change in the future.
What is weathering?
Which of the following is an example of physical (mechanical) weathering?
Which process involves water, wind, or ice moving sediments?
What is deposition?
Which agent of erosion is responsible for creating U‑shaped valleys?
Which landform is created mostly by river erosion?
Which process is happening when ocean waves slowly wear away a cliff?
Sand dunes are formed by which process?
A river slows down as it enters the ocean. What is most likely to happen?
Which process is responsible for forming deltas?
Gravity pulling rocks down a hill is an example of:
Which of the following best describes how the three processes work together?
A beach gaining more sand over time is an example of:
Which agent of erosion is most responsible for shaping coastlines?