The key difference between erosion and corrosion is that the erosion refers to a physical change of matter whereas the corrosion refers to a chemical change of matter.
Both erosion and corrosion are natural processes that have different results on the surfaces they act upon. They are totally different from each other in the sense that while erosion takes small rocks and pebbles to newer places, corrosion changes the chemical nature of substances as it causes changes in the composition of the surface it takes place. Most of the times, people confuse between erosion and corrosion and cannot identify the difference between erosion and corrosion as these two natural processes sound similar.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Erosion
3. What is Corrosion
4. Side by Side Comparison – Erosion vs Corrosion in Tabular Form
5. Summary
What is Erosion?
Erosion is a physical process in which the movement of small fragments of rocks occur under the influence of gravity and a natural agent such as water, winds or melting ice. It is a surface process. This process removes the soil, rock or dissolved material on Earth’s crust, from one location to another. It is a natural process and dynamic activity.
Figure 01: Erosion on Land
The erosive agent can be water, ice (glaciers), snow, air (wind), plants, animals, and humans. The erosion can transport particles just a few millimetres or even thousand kilometres. The facts that can control the rate of erosion include rainfall, bedrock wear in rivers, coastal erosion by sea waves, flooding, wind abrasion, etc. Though the erosion is a natural process, human also has a great influence on it. For example, agriculture sometimes increases soil erosion.
What is Corrosion?
Corrosion is a chemical process in which the change in the chemical composition of some surface (mostly metals) occurs because of the action of oxygen in the presence of moisture. It is also a surface process, same as erosion. Moreover, corrosion takes place as a natural process. The process includes conversion of refines metals into more stable forms such as oxides. However, it causes gradual destruction of the metal. It involves chemical and electrochemical reactions.
Figure 02: Corrosion on Metal Surfaces
Corrosive agents such as oxygen, sulfates can initiate corrosion. Other than metals, this can occur in ceramics, polymers, etc. Furthermore, this process can cause the degradation of important properties of materials such as structure, strength, appearance, etc. Most of the times, metals corrode in exposure to moisture in the air. The most common methods that we can use to prevent a surface from corrosion include passivation and chromate conversion.
What is the Difference Between Erosion and Corrosion?
Erosion is a physical process in which the movement of small fragments of rocks occur under the influence of gravity and a natural agent while corrosion is a chemical process in which the change in the chemical composition of some surface (mostly metals) occurs because of the action of oxygen in the presence of moisture. More importantly, the key difference between erosion and corrosion is that erosion refers to a physical change of matter whereas corrosion refers to a chemical change of matter. Furthermore, erosive agents such as water, ice (glaciers), snow, air (wind), plants, animals, and humans cause erosion while corrosive agents or oxidants such as oxygen and sulfates cause corrosion.
The below infographic shows more facts abouts the difference between erosion and corrosion.
Summary – Erosion vs Corrosion
Erosion and corrosion are very important natural process that we observe in our day to day life. The key difference between erosion and corrosion is that erosion refers to a physical change of matter whereas corrosion refers to a chemical change of matter.
Reference:
1. “Erosion.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 24 Oct. 2018. Available here
2. “Corrosion.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Oct. 2018. Available here
Image Courtesy:
1.”Eroding rill in field in eastern Germany”By Katharina Helming (CC BY-SA 1.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2.”Corroding machinery at old White Island sulphur mine”By Avenue – Own work,(CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia