Glossary

417 words used in the labs.

Find a term from the labs, understand the process behind it, and see how it appears in the landscape. Each entry connects an explanation with a real observation and a model you can explore.

Term

Abrasion

Also written: Corrasion

The wearing away of rock by sediment carried against it by water, wind or ice. Look for scratches, polished surfaces or potholes. Unlike attrition, abrasion describes damage to the surface being struck, rather than collisions between transported particles.

What to look for

Presque Isle River, Michigan. Sediment circulating in eddies abrades the bedrock, enlarging these potholes.

Related labs

River erosion →

Rounded potholes cut into dark bedrock beside flowing water in the Presque Isle River, Michigan.

Explore further with USGS water glossary · USGS volcano glossary · NPS glacial geology · NASA Earth facts. Photograph acknowledgements are collected on the Image credits page.