Which process primarily causes the movement and removal of surface material by natural forces?

Which process primarily causes the movement and removal of surface material by natural forces?

• A. Global Warming
• B. Pollution
• C. Erosion
• D. Weathering

Answer: (C)

Erosion is the process that moves and removes surface material by natural forces. It happens when water, wind, ice, or gravity transport soil and rock away from their original location, reshaping landscapes like valleys, coastlines, dunes, and slopes. Weathering, by contrast, breaks rocks down in place into smaller pieces but doesn’t carry them away on its own. The other options describe phenomena that don’t themselves transport surface material: climate changes (global warming) and pollution, which involves contaminants, do not explain the movement of surface material.

Erosion is the process that moves and removes surface material by natural forces. It happens when water, wind, ice, or gravity transport soil and rock away from their original location, reshaping landscapes like valleys, coastlines, dunes, and slopes. Weathering, by contrast, breaks rocks down in place into smaller pieces but doesn’t carry them away on its own. The other options describe phenomena that don’t themselves transport surface material: climate changes (global warming) and pollution, which involves contaminants, do not explain the movement of surface material.