Global View
An aerial view of the La Conchita
slide in December 2004. The Pacific Ocean sits opposite of the mountain. (Photo: USGS)Surficial processes builds on a common theme as we move through our different Earth processes: nature does its thing, and it’s only a problem when humans get in the way. If geologists can identify areas susceptible to subsidence, rock falls, landslides, and city planners prevent people from building in those areas, then humans can coexist peacefully with surficial processes. Although surficial processes rarely cause loss of life in Indiana, or large amounts of property damage, elsewhere in the U.S. and the world they can cause significant damage and loss of life.
Surficial processes are primarily driven by the same forces that drive erosion, as the forces of nature come together to alter the material on Earth’s surface. Over geologic time, the processes of slides, falls, flows, subsidence, and karst features erode mountains, sending sediment into the oceans. The landscape that surrounds us is merely a snapshot in geologic time of these geologic processes slowly eating away at the surface. Caves provide us with an opportunity to explore how the groundwater system contributes to the alteration of the surface and remind us of the natural wonders that can be created over geologic time.
Please complete this section by taking the assessment.