Page 680E: Weathering, Soil, and Soil Erosion
Soil and Sediment Erosion
Visit this site by the U.S. Global Change Research Information Office for an introduction to erosion of soil, sediments, and rocks.
Soils: The Soil Profile
Go to this site to see a good example of a soil profile, with the horizons, or layers, of soil identified and named. Scroll down to find out more about the processes that form soil.
Wind Erosion
Go to this site by the U.S. Global Change Research Information Office to learn more about erosion by wind.
Glacial Erosion – Processes
Visit this University of Cincinnati site for photographs of different types of glacial erosion. Click on striated graywackies, Yale Glacier, AK 1997 to see glacial striations on bedrock.
Frost Wedging
At this Rocky Mountain National Park site you can learn about weathering of rocks through frost wedging.
Bryce Canyon National Park
Go to this site to find out how wind and water erosion helped shaped Bryce Canyon National Park. Scroll down to park geology to find out what fins and hoodoos are.
Geologic Setting of Stone Mountain, Georgia
Visit this USGS site about Stone Mountain Park in Georgia to learn more about exfoliation in rocks. Scroll down and click on Stone Mountain to see a digital line graph of the surrounding area, or click on Stone Mountain, Georgia Virtual Field Trip to see images of dikes, xenoliths, and exfoliation on the granite dome of this mountain. The granite dome of Stone Mountain has formed because the granite is more resistant to erosion than the rocks in the surrounding countryside.
Page 687: Weathering of Mountains
Life Cycle of a Mountain
Visit this site to find an activity that you can do with your students on the life cycle of a mountain. This is a web-based activity, but it also includes classroom activities to demonstrate physical erosion by wind and water.
Appalachian Highlands
Go to this site to read about the geologic history of the Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to find links to the geology of the Great Smoky Mountains and the geology of Virginia.
Rocky Mountain System
At this site you can read about the geologic history of the Rocky Mountains of the western United States. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on Rocky Mountain tour to see photographs of these mountains.
