What does the Erase tool preserve when used on layers?

The Erase tool is designed to remove the areas of one layer (the input feature) that overlap with another layer (the erase feature). When the Erase tool is applied, it effectively keeps the non-overlapping features of the input layer intact, allowing users to isolate or preserve those parts of the data that are not affected by the overlapping areas defined by the erase feature. Thus, what's retained are the features from the input layer that do not intersect with the geometry of the erase layer.

In this context, the overlapping features between the two layers are removed, while everything that does not overlap is preserved, which aligns with the purpose of the Erase tool in spatial analysis within GIS applications. This functionality is particularly useful in various scenarios, such as avoiding certain areas during analysis or adjusting datasets based on specific criteria represented by the erase layer.