Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

How does the rock and water cycle affect only the beach, rather than looking at the full cycle which elements are specifically pertained to the beach.

Matt,

Thank you for using the Science Buddies fora.

The rock cycle affects the beach by turning sand particles from the shore into sedimentary rock.

Runoff, a part of the water cycle, affects the beach by carrying sand away from the shore. This process is known as erosion.

I hope that my response is helpful. If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask.


For science!

- Ultra

Hi Matt,

To add to Ultra's answer, the rock and water cycles are interconnected when it comes to beaches.

Both sand and small, polished pebbles on beaches are the result of long-term weathering and erosion. Weathering is when factors including thermal factors and water break down larger pieces of rock. For example, on a beach, the powerful waves and wind break down larger rocks into smaller pieces. Eventually, these pieces break down into sand.

Erosion takes place when forces transport pieces of rock or soil from one location to another. An example is the waves battering beach pebbles. As the water pushes the pebbles, the rocks tumble around each other as they move, polishing their edges. Some of these smooth pebbles are transported to other locations, while some may wash up on the beach.

Hope this helped!
Allison

allisontu wrote:Hi Matt,

To add to Ultra's answer, the rock and water cycles are interconnected when it comes to beaches.

Both sand and small, polished pebbles on beaches are the result of long-term weathering and erosion. Weathering is when factors including thermal factors and water break down larger pieces of rock. For example, on a beach, the powerful waves and wind break down larger rocks into smaller pieces. Eventually, these pieces break down into sand.

Erosion takes place when forces transport pieces of rock or soil from one location to another. An example is the waves battering beach pebbles. As the water pushes the pebbles, the rocks tumble around each other as they move, polishing their edges. Some of these smooth pebbles are transported to other locations, while some may wash up on the beach.

Hope this helped!
Allison

Hi Allison,
Its great to join this community and thank you and Ultra's for the responses, I fond it very interesting since thought about it many times in past!