Earth Science SOL Practice Test 2026 – Complete Exam Preparation

Deposition is the process where sediment that has been moved by wind, water, or ice loses enough energy to stop moving and settles out, forming new layers in a new location. It follows transport (erosion) after weathering has produced the material. In contrasts, weathering is the breakdown of rock in place, erosion is the removal and transport of material, and frost wedging is a specific type of mechanical weathering due to freeze–thaw cycles. The key idea here is the settling out of transported material, which is deposition.