Erosion in Landscape Formation

Erosion, which is also known as denudation, is a process that removes weathered rocks from their original locations by gravity, water, wind, dissolution, glaciers, freezing and thawing, tides, currents, waves and living organisms. In a narrow sense, erosion refers to the wearing down of rocks by the force of flowing water (stream and river) as well as the abrasion of river banks and riverbeds by the sand and rocks carried by the river. These forces deepen, widen and lengthen valleys, forming canyon landforms. Mechanical erosion is more prominent in cutting the Earth’s surface, whereas chemical erosion is more significant in areas with soluble rocks. Erosion can also be classified as headward, downward, linear, sheet and lateral erosion. Erosion is a basic geological process for the formation of various landforms.