The Definition and Description of Geological Erosion

The Definition and Description of Geological Erosion Erosion is the name for the processes that both break down rocks (weathering) and carry away the breakdown products (transportation). As a general rule, if rock is just broken down through mechanical or chemical means, then weathering has occurred. If that broken-down material gets moved at all by water, wind or ice, then erosion has occurred.   Erosion is different from  mass wasting, which refers to the downslope movement of rocks, dirt, and regolith primarily through gravity. Examples of mass wasting are  landslides, rockfalls,  slumps,  and soil creep. Erosion, mass wasting, and weathering are classified as separate actions and often discussed individually. In reality, they are overlapping processes that usually act together.   The physical processes of erosion are called corrasion or mechanical erosion, while the chemical processes are called corrosion or chemical erosion. Many examples of erosion include both corrasion and corrosion. Agents of Erosion The agents of erosion are ice, water, waves, and wind. As with any natural process that takes place on the Earths surface, gravity plays a major role as well. Water is perhaps the most important (or at least most visible) agent of erosion. Raindrops strike the surface of the Earth with enough force to break apart soil in a process known as splash erosion. Sheet erosion occurs as water collects on the surface and moves toward small streams and rivulets, removing a widespread, thin layer of soil along the way. Gully and rill erosion occurs as runoff becomes concentrated enough to remove and transport larger amounts of soil. Streams, depending on their size and speed, can erode away banks and bedrock and transport large pieces of sediment.   Glaciers erode through abrasion and plucking. Abrasion occurs as rocks and debris become embedded on the bottom and sides of a glacier. As the glacier moves, the rocks scour and scratch the surface of the Earth. Plucking takes place when meltwater enters cracks in the rock beneath a glacier. The water refreezes and breaks off large pieces of rock, which are then transported by glacial movement. U-shaped valleys  and  moraines  are visible reminders of the awesome erosive (and depositional) power of glaciers.   Waves cause erosion by cutting away at the shore. This process creates remarkable landforms like wave-cut platforms, sea arches,  sea stacks, and chimneys. Due to the constant battering of wave energy, these landforms are usually short-lived.   Wind affects the surface of the Earth through deflation and abrasion. Deflation refers to the removal and transport of fine-grained sediment from the winds turbulent flow. As the sediment is airborne, it may grind and wear away surfaces with which it comes in contact. Like with glacial erosion, this process is known as abrasion.  Wind erosion is most common in flat, arid areas with loose, sandy soils.   Human Impact on Erosion Although erosion is a natural process, human activities like agriculture, construction, deforestation, and grazing can greatly increase its impact. Agriculture is particularly notorious. Areas that are conventionally plowed experience upwards of 10 times more erosion than normal. Soil forms at about the same rate that it  naturally erodes, meaning that humans are currently stripping away the soil at a very unsustainable rate.   Providence Canyon, sometimes referred to as Georgias Little Grand Canyon, is a strong testament to the erosional effects of poor farming practices. The canyon began forming in the early 19th century as rainwater runoff from the fields caused gully erosion. Now, just 200 years later, guests can see 74 million years of beautifully layered sedimentary rock in the 150-foot canyon walls.

J.R.R. Tolkien Biography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

J.R.R. Tolkien Biography - Essay Example Tolkien completed his education at the height of the World War I. It was then the society’s expectations for the youths to volunteer into the military (White 75). However, Tolkien chose not to become a volunteer in the British army but instead enrolled in a degree program. After completing his degree course Tolkien chose to join the military as a lieutenant instead of taking a civilian job (Zimrack web). He retained his service to the military despite encountering the first-hand witness of execution his closest friend and college colleagues who served in the military. His ill health, however, prevented him from being deployed in the front line.After the end of World War I, Tolkien got his first job with the Oxford English dictionary where he worked on the etymology of words (Chance 105). His work with the Oxford English dictionary earned him a teaching position at Leeds University. He later became the youngest professor of Leeds in his time. Although Tolkien was a dedicated ac ademician and a writer, he had a keen interest in wars and matters of national interest. Although he once served in the military, he had a negative attitude concerning wars. He also objected other European ideologies such as Stalinism and imperialism. In addition, to the surprise of many Tolkien was totally against racism.In conclusion, Tolkien lived a successful life with a legacy. His thinking and actions that surpassed the expectations and norms of the society are the main sources of his success. His success.

(Exam questions) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

(Exam questions) - Essay Example "When the environment audit is undertaken, the objective is to develop a finite list of opportunities, threats, strengths and weaknesses. Here the word finite list is emphasized because the job of the manager is not to make an exhaustive list of all the factors that may affect the organization. But focus should be on key environmental variables that could influence business"1. The importance of the environmental analysis is mostly realized by organizations but the depth of the analysis is often compromised. For example in Toyota Corporation, there is a management concept "to go to the roots". The meaning of this concept is that, when we are collecting information for analysis, the information should be collected from the source or in other words from the origin. When an external environmental analysis is done with information collected from the sources and decisions are made based on such in-depth data, the applicability and durability of strategic plans are considerably increased. The information from the external environment should be used to tune up the internal environment to meet the challenges and make good of the opportunities. When an organization needs to possess a competitive advantage its focus should be internalized rather externalized. The ability of a business concern to focus on its strengths and potential areas of improvement will lead to formulation of workable plans. Hence, the conflict between where we are and where we want to go does not arise. Wastage of time and money on formulating strategies which have to be later sacrificed to carry out day to day operations can be avoided. Many a times in a business organization, managers are faced with the challenge to modify the day to day operations to achieve the long term strategic goals and vice versa. This may be due to the gaps between the aspirations and actual business environment. The organization may aspire to achieve the mission and vision, but the ground reality faced by the company may create hurdles in the path. In an organization, long term strategic plans are useful to tune up the operations to achieve future objectives. But, it is often hard to follow the preplanned course of actions. This may be due to various reasons and mangers are often at the cross roads. Assigning priorities and making decisions becomes a challenge for the business managers when they have to decide the sacrifices that have to be made to get along in business. When we argue that often operational priorities derail strategic plans, it denotes that the culture in an organization is not oriented towards the strategic plans made. Th e external environment is ever dynamic and the strategy formulated should be flexible to accommodate the changes. When the strategists bring this concept into the strategy formulation right from the nascent stage then the situation of trade off of strategies can be avoided. When a person wants to achieve something in future the attitude, personality, values and other psychographic factors should be matching with what he/she wants to achieve. In an organization there are so many people working who have different kinds of needs. When different people work together to contribute towards the success of the organization, then the pattern in dealing with problems and the behavior of the employees should be assessed. This pattern of behavior is often called as the