Erosion

Erosion is the process that produce the wearing away of rocks because of the action of the geological external agents (wind, water...)

Different factors may influence the erosion process:

• Steepness of the slope: In steep slopes, the materials are less stable. If there isn´t any vegetation, the water takes away the superficial layers of soil so organic materials that can regenerate the vegetation are removed
• Weight of the sediments.
• Cohesion: Internal connection of the rock components. Depends on:
• Degree of fracture of the material
• If the rock is soft or has been weathered previously (less cohesion).
• Presence or absence of water.
• Presence or absence of plastic materials.
• Absence of vegetation: The roots are support factors. They hold the land. The aerial part of the plants filtrate the rainwater so it falls slowly.
• Climatic factors: Erosion is stronger in windy/rainfall areas

Erosion types:

• Leakage: abrupt drops of loose rocks. The acting agent here is the gravity.

• Landslides: they are huge leakages.
• Slippery: The land slips over a take-off surface.

• Flows and tracks: mud rivers.

• Creeping: When the volume of a plastic land increases (humid variety) because of the level of water a molecule goes up but when the land dehydrates, that molecule goes down (small waving).

• Gully: Channels or cracks formed on plastic material slopes because of the rainfall.  As a result of these processes hoodoos or fairy chimneys are formed. These are pyramidal structures with a rock of a different and more resistant material on the top of them.