10.0 Erosion and Deposition

This photo shows Horseshoe Bend on the Colorado River as it flows through the Grand Canyon. Notice the trees growing along the river’s edge. They look tiny from the top of the canyon. They show how deep the canyon is.

The Colorado River carved this spectacular canyon down through layer upon layer of rock. How can water cut through rock? How did the horseshoe shape form? In this chapter, you’ll find answers to questions like these. You’ll learn how moving water and other natural forces shape Earth’s surface, sometimes in spectacular ways.