CHAPTER TEN

Erosion

Where are these rocks? Are they on the moon? No, they are in Cappadocia in Turkey.

They look like sculptures, but no one made them. Really, the windy weather made them. These rocks are not very hard. The wind blows on them and very slowly changes them. When the weather changes Earth in this way, we call it erosion.

In the Colorado River in the USA, erosion began about 20 million years ago. The river moved over the rock and slowly broke it. Sun, cold weather, and wind broke the rock, too. All these things made the incredible deep valley called the Grand Canyon.

Wind, rain, sun, and snow — the weather is a part of Earth’s story. Sun and wind make deserts. Glaciers move between mountains and make valleys. Rain falls on limestone and makes caves… This story began millions of years ago, and it is still going on. What an incredible story it is!