PHYSICAL & ECOLOGICAL PROCESSES OF EARTH Francisci WG.2

Processes that have shaped Earth’s surface: 1. EARTHQUAKES  Occur where tectonic plates meet and build pressure.  Prevalent along the Ring of Fire that circles the Pacific Ocean.  Can cause great damage to buildings, human and animal life.

The Ring of Fire

Processes that have shaped Earth’s surface: 2. VOLCANOES  A vent through which magma erupts.  Also found in the Ring of Fire Area.  Can destroy life and cause great damage to structures.

Processes that have shaped Earth’s surface: 3. Floods  When there is more water than the Earth’s surface can absorb.  Can be very destructive and result in human casualties.

Processes that have shaped Earth’s surface: 4. Erosion  The wearing away of the Earth’s surface.  Forces include water, wind and glaciers.

Processes that have shaped Earth’s surface: 5. Deposition  The deposit of sediment in the process of erosion.  Wind, water and ice are ways that sediment is carried to other areas.