Weathering & Erosion
📋 What it is
Weathering breaks rock into pieces where it sits; erosion carries those pieces away by water, wind or ice.
🗣️ Coach says
Two words people mix up: weathering BREAKS rock; erosion MOVES it. Together, over ages, they carve canyons, build beaches and flatten mountains. Slow, patient, unstoppable.
🧠 Memory hook
Weathering breaks it, erosion moves it. Break, then transport.
😂 Giggle
What did one contour line say to the other?
"Stop going around in circles — we're on the same level!"
😲 Whoa!
The Grand Canyon was carved by the Colorado River over roughly 5–6 million years — erosion, one grain at a time.
✅ Quick check: What’s the difference between weathering and erosion?
Say your answer out loud first — then reveal.
Weathering breaks rock down in place; erosion transports the broken pieces somewhere else.
The break-vs-move distinction is a classic tested idea and a real reasoning tool.
🧪 Try it! (2 minutes)
Find a photo of a canyon or a beach and name whether weathering, erosion, or both made it.