ACTIVITY ON WEATHERING, EROSION, AND DEPOSITION
Objectives:
•Clearly define and distinguish weathering, erosion, and deposition
•Explain how each mechanism affects rock/sediment transport
•Analyze the experimental setup and extend it to real-world scenarios
Materials Checklist
☐ Sheet pan (angled by placing a block underneath one end) ☐ Damp sand
☐ Ice cubes (2–3) ☐ Pitcher of water
☐ Watering can or spray bottle ☐ Straw
☐ Towel (for cleanup)
Procedures:
1. Setup: Create Your Landscape
a. Prop up one side of the pan to form a gentle slope.
b. Place a towel underneath to catch runoff.
c. Pile damp sand on the higher side. Shape hills, valleys, and a small riverbed down the
middle using your finger.
(Paste/ sketch picture of your output)
2. Explore Weathering
Water Weathering: Pour water from the pitcher into the top of the riverbed. Watch how it
breaks down the sand banks.
(Paste/ sketch picture of your output)
Air Weathering: Blow gently over the hills with a straw to simulate wind breaking down
sand.
(Paste/ sketch picture of your output)
Observation:
What happens to the sand banks and tiny sand particles?
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Question:
How does weathering change the shape of your landscape?
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3. Investigate Erosion
Water Erosion: Continue pouring water so you can see small bits of sand carried downhill.
(Paste/ sketch picture of your output)
Wind Erosion: Use the straw to move grains along the surface.
(Paste/ sketch picture of your output)
Observation:
Trace where the sand travels. Does it speed up, slow down, or stop somewhere?
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Question:
How does sand movement differ between wind and water?
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4. See Deposition in Action
Water Deposition: Observe where sand accumulates at the bottom.
(Paste/ sketch picture of your output)
Air Deposition: Notice where blown sand settles after wind moves it.
(Paste/ sketch picture of your output)
Question:
Why do sediments get left behind at certain points?
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5. Simulating Glaciers (Ice Cubes)
Place ice cubes at the top of your landscape.
Let them melt naturally or gently nudge them down the slope.
Watch how ice moves and changes the sand as it melts.
Observation:
What marks or furrows do the ice cubes leave behind?
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Question:
How does slow-moving ice (like glaciers) weather and erode land differently from water?
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6. Simulated Rainfall
Use the watering can to gently drizzle water over your landscape.
Observation:
Does your riverbed deepen? Do new runoff paths appear?
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Question:
How is rainfall different from flowing water in shaping landforms?
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7. Reflection & Definitions
Fill in the blanks with your own words based on the experiment:
Weathering is
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Erosion is
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Deposition is
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Explain:
How do these processes work together to shape our Earth?
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