What is erosion?

What Does erosion Mean

From the Latin erosĭo , erosion is the wear that occurs on the surface of a body by the action of external agents (such as wind or water) or by the continuous friction of other bodies.

Erosion is part of what is known as the geographical cycle , which encompasses the changes that a relief undergoes due to the action of different agents. It is the process of wear of the bedrock by exogenous geological processes. These processes that cause erosion can be wind, water currents, temperature changes or even the action of living beings. This means that animals can cause erosion by eating grass, for example.
Likewise, it must be made clear that there are a series of factors that determine that the erosion process is much faster. Specifically, among them we would highlight, for example, the relief of the area itself because if it has a relatively steep slope, that action will be facilitated.

In the same way, the type of surface is also essential to achieve this acceleration of erosion. And it is that based on the rock of the same and if it has vegetation of different types, it will be allowed to favor to a greater or extent the process that now occupies us.
Thus, for example, it is perfectly clear that any surface that has a type of vegetation will have it much easier to be able to avoid or stop erosion to some extent. And it is that, among other things, it will serve to protect the surface not only from the action of the wind but also from the flow of water.
And that is where, in turn, the action of man takes on a very relevant role, which also becomes a fundamental factor in the erosion process. And it is that through certain acts of him the aforementioned can be accelerated. A clear example of this is the action of the farmer who destroys the vegetation of a field or when he carries out various crops.
There are two main types of erosion according to their effects. The progressive erosion or geological erosion develops naturally over the course of years by the action of some of the above factors (wind, rain, snow, heat, etc.). The accelerated erosion , however, develops faster and its effects are noticeable soon. This type of erosion is usually caused by human action.
As for the causative agent, we can speak of water erosion (by water displacement, including marine erosion and river erosion ), glacial erosion (common in the mountains), wind erosion , karstic erosion , biotic erosion or volcanic erosion .
It is also important to establish that when we use the term erosion we can be referring in the same way to the superficial type of injury that a person suffers in his epidermis as a consequence of an agent of different types.
In another sense, the term erosion can be used symbolically to refer to the erosion of influence or prestige that a person or an organization can suffer : "The cases of corruption contributed to the erosion of the credibility of the government . "