Students know moving water erodes landforms, reshaping the land by taking it away from some places and depositing it as pebbles, sand, silt, and mud in other places (weathering, transport, and deposition).

Most people think the word erosion refers to the breaking down of rock. Technically, in geology erosion refers only to the movement of rock material from one location to another. Erosion can be caused by running water, wind, gravity, glaciers, and waves. These agents move sediment from one location to another.

The term weathering refers to the processes that break rocks into smaller pieces. The term deposition refers to the processes by which the sediments are laid down in new locations.

Weathering breaks down the rocks. Erosion changes the shape of landforms by carrying the broken materials away. Deposition also changes landforms by placing the sediments in new locations.