How does water affect Earth’s features? Weathering Erosion Deposition Ice/Meteorites

Weathering The process of being broken into smaller pieces.

Erosion Removal and transportation of weathered material

Deposition Adding sediments to a new place after they have been carried from another place. In the process of deposition the shape and direction of a river’s flow changes.

River Systems Rivers are always changing! They flow because gravity is pulling the water down to a lower place Sediments are deposited in different places because the speed of the river changes. Fine sediments are deposited at the delta.

Mississippi River Delta winding river delta- Do you see the fan shape?

Floodplains When rivers and streams overflow and flood, the water goes into what is called the floodplain. Floods can be dangerous and costly!

Lakes and Oceans As rivers flow to oceans they carry along sediments and dissolved minerals. Example: Salt As ocean water evaporates it leaves behind dissolved salts and other minerals. As time passes the ocean gets more salty.

How Ice Changes Earth Frozen water changes Earth’s surface too! Glaciers flow as slow moving rivers of ice. They can form valleys.

Meteorites Craters form when meteorites hit earth’s surface