Imagine you are at the beach and the wind is howling and blowing all around you. You begin to feel that slight sting on your skin. Now, imagine this blowing sand hitting a rock. Over time, the rock will wear down into smaller pieces.

Sand blowing on the Kelso Dunes, California.

How can wind change a landform? Let’s see Bill Nye’s investigation.

3

Weathering Erosion Deposition

I am using my hammer

to wear away this rock

I am carrying away the

pieces

I cannot carry them any

further so I drop them

Landforms are changed by different forces, but all surfaces of the Earth change because of breaking of

rocks, movement of sediments and the dropping off of sediments.

• Remember, WEATHERING is breaking down rocks into smaller pieces. The weathered pieces of rock can be carried away by the wind. Pieces of rock moved by the wind is known as WIND EROSION.

This rock This rock experienced experienced weathering and weathering and erosion at the erosion at the base of the rock base of the rock by wind.by wind.

Mushroom Rocks are formed when wind blows sand around the bottom of the rock wearing it away.

Watch Bill Nye explain Mushroom Rock formation

Mushroom Rock State Park in the Smoky Hills region of Kansas

Photos taken from Wikimedia Commons.

How are Arches Created?

Temperature changes caused the sandstone to start weathering. The wind continues the

weathering and erosion process to from arches.

Sandstone layers in the Salt Valley which can undergo wind erosion to form

arches.

Rainbow Bridge National Monument, Utah, USARainbow Bridge National Monument, Utah, USA

How will these arches change How will these arches change overtime?overtime?

Natural Bridge at Bryce Canyon National Park.Natural Bridge at Bryce Canyon National Park.

The Wall Arch at Arches National Park

The arch collapsed sometime between the night of Monday, August 4, 2008, and the morning of August 5.

Sand DunesSome landforms are made of small rocks and sand. These landforms are shaped by water and wind. A SAND DUNE is a hill that is made and shaped by wind. As wind blows, the sand is moved and therefore shaped.

Notice the grooves in the land. These were caused by

wind.

Over time, wind can leave small piles of sand in areas. These piles grow as more and more sand is left behind. Slowly, this creates sand dunes.

• Sand dunes form where the wind is strong and the sand deposits are abundant.

• Sand dunes occur near beaches, lakeshores, and deserts.

Notice the sand dune has been pushed

up against the fence.

Winds blowing across the water erodes the sand into piles at Sleeping Bear Dunes in Michigan.

How will the plant roots help decrease the erosion of the dunes?

Great Sand Dunes National Monument, view is to the north with the Sangre de Cristo with Mountains in the background.

How has wind changed the following landforms?

Wind erosion makes these layered sandstone hills swirl in Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness Area. It is home to sandstone arches, huge red rock amphitheaters, and hanging gardens.

Winds sweeping through the Grand Canyon have eroded this sandstone. Wind shapes by eroding less dense rock, like sandstone, faster than surrounding rock.

Desert winds sculpted these gentle swirls out of the limestone hills in Black Gap Wildlife Management Area, Texas. This remote, 100,000-acre area in West Texas contains some of the lowest, driest, and hottest areas in the Chihuahuan Desert.

How are wind erosion and water erosion alike?

How are they different?

Which landform is most likely to be produced by windblown sand? A. canyon B. sand dune C. delta D. cliff

If you were going to build a house on a hill, would you want a lot of trees and plants growing around your house?

Why? What materials would you want the

hill to be made out of?

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