Crater Lakes and Erosion

As a result of volcanic eruptions, very broad and shallow craters are formed. They are surrounded by a wall like structure made up of lava. When there is no eruption for a long time, many craters become filled with rain water, forming lakes. These are called crater lakes.

Crater lakes are normally on the top of mountains. The water in these lakes is pure and looks blue. Crater lakes are very beautiful.

The largest and the most picturesque Crater Lake are situated on the cascade ranges in the USA. It has been developed into a Crater Lake national park. It is over, 1800 meters above the sea level. Thousand of tourists visit this place every year.

Erosion is a process of scraping, scratching, grinding and transportation of the soil and rocks on the earth’s surface by running water, moving ice or glacier, waves and currents of the sea, rain and wind. The existing beautiful landscapes on the earth have mainly been craved and shaped by erosion.

Erosion forms soil, finds minerals ad adds air and moisture to land. Lakes, waterfalls, caverns, valleys and natural bridges are created by erosion. Grand Canyon in the USA is an excellent example of such erosion. Various measures are undertaken these days to stop soil erosion. Erosion is caused by many agents valleys are result of glacial erosion. River erosion transports soil from one place to another. Sand dunes in deserts are formed by wind erosion. Erosion by sea waves carves out caves.

Erosions are of various types. The process of grinding the surface rocks by debris or weights is called mechanical erosion. The wearing action of moving materials is called corrosion. When the blocks of rocks are broken into smaller pieces during transportation, it is called attrition.