For example, the Pacific Ocean is surrounded by a nearly continuous plate-collision zone, called the 'Ring of Fire'. Both earthquakes and volcanoes are the results of the instability of this zone. There are different forces that erode the earth s landforms. Weathering is the physical disintegration and chemical decomposition of earth materials at or near the earth's surface. Water is a mechanical weathering force.
Evidence shows that water molds the earth's surface through, rivers, and ocean waves.
One of the largest examples of water as a weathering force is the Grand Canyon. The Colorado River has molded and shaped the canyon over the last 5 million years. Physical weathering breaks rocks into pieces. Animals, insects, worms, and burrowing mammals all work to loosen the soil by aeration and by mixing loose materials. Another main cause of physical weathering is the formation of ice in rocks.