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Erosion is responsible for some of the weirdest-looking natural wonders on Earth. The effects of rainfall, wind abrasion, wave and river flow, glacial movement, and that of weathering—the breaking down of rocks, soil, and minerals as well as wood and artificial materials through contact with the Earth's atmosphere, water, and biological organisms—has left behind an array of outstanding geological features, many of which stand as cherished landmarks and visitor attractions.
Click through the following gallery and take a look at how the geological process of erosion has shaped our planet.
A bristlecone pine grove in California's Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest. Many of the trees found here are over 4,000 years old, and the oldest has been dated to over 4,700 years. The tree's longevity is due in part to the wood's extreme durability. Rather than rot, exposed wood, on living and dead trees, erodes like stone due to wind, rain, and freezing, which creates unusual forms and shapes. (Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY 2.0)
These unique erosion formations called sand tufa stand like ancient helicopter pads along the shoreline of Mono Lake in California. Thousands of years ago when the lake's level dropped, these fragile calcium carbonate deposits surfaced. Relentless winds subsequently removed the sand beneath the deposits.
The Marble Caves are located on the shore of General Carrera Lake in northern Patagonia. This incredible natural phenomenon has been carved out over thousands of years by glacial water.
More than 2,000 natural sandstone arches make up the Arches National Park in Utah. The park lies within a fragile high-desert ecosystem and over centuries wind, rain, and ice have formed these free-standing structures. (Photo: Flickr/CC BY-NC 2.0)
Numerous lakes arranged in cascades make up the Plitvice Lakes National Park. Renowned for their distinctive colors, ranging from azure to green, grey, or blue, the lakes are fed by water runoff from the mountains above, which follow channels eroded out of the rock over many centuries.
The curious collection of isolated boulders found embedded on South Island's Otago coast were exposed by wave action erosion. The odd-looking rocks are themselves now being worn smooth by the waves.
The Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness Area in Arizona and Utah features a landscape weathered over centuries to form spectacular layered sandstone hills that appear to swirl and whirl.
Árbol de Piedra, the "Stone Tree," is an isolated rock formation in the Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve, in Bolivia. The soft sandstone has been sculptured by wind erosion. (Photo: Flickr/CC BY 2.0)
Wave Rock near Perth in Australia is a natural granite rock formation. It's part of the north side of a solitary hill, which is known as "Hyden Rock." The wave is in fact a flared slope, formed by the concentrated weathering around its base by groundwater.
The Danxia landform covers several provinces in southeast China. Over millions of years the steep cliffs that can be seen today, exposed by faults of layered rock, red in color, were formed through weathering and erosion.
Nambung National Park in Western Australia is home to an area with thousands of limestone formations called pinnacles—weathered and eroded fragments of limestone beds composed of deposited marine organisms such as coral and mollusks.
Pictured: a glacial river system transporting deposits from the Vatnajökull glacier in southern Iceland. Glacial debris is slowly eroding the riverbed.
The Cappadocia plateau with its landmark fairy chimneys and tent rocks was created from the combined effect of volcanic activity and millions of years of wind and rain erosion. (Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY-SA 3.0)
This natural limestone arch on the Jurassic Coast near Lulworth in Dorset is the result of millions of years of coastal erosion. Incidentally, Durdle is derived from the Old English thirl, meaning to pierce, bore or drill, which in turn derives from thyrel, meaning hole.
Located west of Nigeria's capital, Lagos, this huge monolith, the result of volcanic activity, has been worn smooth over millennia by wind, sand, and dust.
Named after the small town of Omarama on South Island, these cliffs are made up of numerous layers of silt and gravel as a result of erosion created by glaciers around one million years ago.
Exposed to sea winds on three sides, this massive limestone outcrop in the region of Valencia is home to numerous rare plants and over 300 species of animals. Natural erosion has created nesting sites on the cliff face for birds of prey and seabirds. (Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY-SA 4.0)
These balancing rocks resembling a "mother and her child" are located in the Matopos National Park near Harare. They were created when ancient granite intrusions were exposed to weathering, as softer rocks around them eroded.
The Stone Forest or Shilin in China's Yunnan Province is a remarkable set of limestone formations eroded out of the surrounding landscape over an estimated 270 million years.
Known also as Tokangawhā, this geological rock formation in Tasman Bay off the northern coast of the South Island of New Zealand gets its name after a naturally occurring joint in the rock was eroded by wind and rain until it eventually split.
Wave cut platforms are formed when destructive waves hit against the face of cliffs. The subsequent erosion can be quite spectacular, as seen at Southerndown in South Wales. (Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY-SA 2.5)
A unique landscape in Xinjiang, China, created by years of wind and rain erosion, has produced what's known as "Rainbow Beach" in an area called the Five Colored Hills.
One of the most dramatic sea caves in Europe is found on southern Portugal's Algarve coast at Benagil. The huge sandstone dome was carved out thousands of years ago by wave movement and ocean currents.
The Coron limestone rocks were formed 20 million years ago. Subsequently uplifted by tectonism some 30 million years ago, they've since been extensively eroded by waves and monsoon rains to create their present and unique visual topography. (Photo: Flickr/CC BY 2.0)
A spoil tip—waste material removed during mining—covered in rills and gullies due to erosion processes caused by rainfall, seen here in Rummu, Estonia. (Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY-SA 3.0)
The huge sandstone bluffs seen in Mill Bluff State Park in Wisconsin were once sea stacks that reared out of a glacial lake 12,000 years ago. They stand as rare examples because similar structures in the area were bulldozed away by glaciers.
Bolnuevo in Murcia delights beachgoers as much for its weird sandstone sculptures as its leisure facilities. The result of wind and sand erosion, the formations have become a local tourist attraction. (Photo: Flickr/CC BY 2.0)
It's not only the natural elements that can cause erosion. Human footfall over centuries has worn down these stone steps at Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Awesome examples of weathering and erosion over millennia
Geological natural wonders you need to see
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Erosion is responsible for some of the weirdest-looking natural wonders on Earth. The effects of rainfall, wind abrasion, wave and river flow, glacial movement, and that of weathering—the breaking down of rocks, soil, and minerals as well as wood and artificial materials through contact with the Earth's atmosphere, water, and biological organisms—has left behind an array of outstanding geological features, many of which stand as cherished landmarks and visitor attractions.
Click through the following gallery and take a look at how the geological process of erosion has shaped our planet.