Stone steps erode with every footstep, leading to indents over time, right? But other things seem to erode on their own through time alone, so what causes that? Wind and rain? Would it therefore be correct to say that anything, if subjected to constantly running water, loses a few atoms every second and would eventually erode? Would this mean nothing is technically 100% waterproof? Or can things erode on their own without an external force? Thanks!
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On Earth ice, water and wind (and the sand and other particles they carry) will erode everything over time. Even a meter thick piece of diamond would erode when gently sandblasted over millions of years.
Even without an atmosphere there are still forces at play. For example solar radiation and cosmic radiation which can knock apart molecules or even atoms. Radioactive decay also happens to a lot of atoms and their isotopes.
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