Erosion & Landforms Sandbox
Watch how water, wind, ice, and plants slowly reshape the land. Slide through time from 1 year to 1 million years, compare before and after, label 8 landforms, and learn the difference between weathering and erosion.
Try a preset
Moving water is the most powerful erosion agent on Earth. Rivers, rain, and waves reshape the land.
- Carves valleys and canyons
- Creates riverbeds
- Smooths rocks
- Builds deltas where rivers meet the sea
Landscape View
Landforms created by Water
Valley
Low area between mountains, carved by water or ice
Canyon
Deep, narrow valley with steep sides carved by a river
Delta
Fan-shaped land built where a river meets the sea
Cliff
Steep rock face shaped by waves, ice, or weathering
Cave
Underground hollow carved by water dissolving rock
River
Flowing water that carries sediment and shapes the land
Reference Guide
Erosion
Erosion is the movement of rock and soil from one place to another by water, wind, ice, or gravity. Moving water is the strongest erosion force on Earth.
Rivers carve valleys and canyons. Ocean waves shape cliffs and beaches. Rain washes soil downhill. Over thousands or millions of years, erosion reshapes entire landscapes.
Rivers, rain, waves
Sand, dust storms
Glaciers
Landslides, rockfalls
Weathering
Weathering breaks rock into smaller pieces without moving it. There are three kinds of weathering.
Landforms
Landforms are natural features on Earth's surface. Erosion creates and shapes many landforms over long periods of time.
Time and Change
Erosion is slow. Most changes take thousands or millions of years. Small changes add up over very long periods.
The Grand Canyon took about 5 to 6 million years to form. The Colorado River carved through layer after layer of rock, a little bit each year.
Think about it: If a river erodes 1 millimeter of rock per year, that is 1 meter every 1,000 years and 1 kilometer every 1 million years!
