The phrase "wind can create alterations in the surface layers of rocks" is not an appositive in the sentence "Wind can create alterations in the surface layers of rocks is one cause of erosion."

Here's why:

* Appositives are words or phrases that rename or explain a noun or pronoun that comes before them. They are set off by commas, dashes, or parentheses.

* In this sentence, the phrase "wind can create alterations in the surface layers of rocks" is the subject of the sentence. It's the thing that is causing erosion.

To make the sentence grammatically correct, it should be rewritten as:

"Wind can create alterations in the surface layers of rocks, and this is one cause of erosion."

Here, the phrase "and this" acts as an appositive, renaming and clarifying the previous phrase.