Erosion and Weathering Walk

Winter is a great time for studying erosion because so much of the landscape is bare and easy to observe. The season is making her mark on several places as rain, snow and ice fall and don’t have to contend with foliage as a protector of land and rocks.

My children and I enjoyed a much anticipated warmer weather walk yesterday with our eyes open for signs of erosion. Here are some of the things we found.

A broken rock that none of us remember being broken before winter.

Unprotected soil on a slope that has washed away to reveal underground rock.

Trees near the creek with their roots exposed due to the water washing the soil away around them.

A hole in this rock shows where an almost constant force of water has been beating down on this particular spot from the ledge above.

This picture shows grass and other plants laid down after a heavy rain when the creek was flowing fast and hard. The grass isn't a sign of erosion, but I included this picture to demonstrate the force of the water which carries soil, rocks and other debris down the creek.

These are several pebbles at the bottom of the creek. Over time, jagged rocks are worn down to smooth pebbles from the agitation of the water and the rocks bumping against one another/things in the creek.

In our Everchanging Erosion study, we’ve included a scavenger hunt that can help your children located signs of erosion. We’ve also included a fun candy experiment to demonstrate the process of a rock turning into a pebble, how to compare land after a flood, an experiment to determine how ice and other weather can break a rock and so much more! I’ve only mentioned a few of the activities that happen to go along with the photographs I was able to take yesterday. Believe it or not, there’s TONS to do concerning the study of erosion and weathering.