LESSON 3
3 ENDOGENIC AND EXOGENIC
PROCESSES
What should I expect?
At the end of the lesson the student should be able to;
1. Define Endogenic Processes;
2. Identify and explain each processes;
3. Realize the important and contributions of these processes to the planet.
What do I know?
Directions: Give the definition af the following.
1. Lithospheic plate
2. Sand dunes
3. Erosion
4. Weathering
5. metamorphism
What do I remember?
Endogenic and Exogenic Processes
Clearly, the surface of the earth is not flat but is rather unevenly spread out due to the presence of
landforms including mountains, plains, hills, etc. These uneven landforms are formed and deformed
over a while, in an ongoing process, due to the influence of internal and external pressure from within
and above the surface of the earth.
Simply put, we can define endogenic forces (internal) and exogenic forces (external) as the two major
geomorphic pressures that lead to the earth’s movements and give shape to the earth’s surface.
When these internal and external changes occur continuously, chemical changes and stress are
triggered on the surface of the earth, which eventually leads to the formation of uneven terrain
ELSCI W3 Global Success through Academic Excellence
1
What do I need to know?
MAIN LESSON
1. Endogenic Processes
Endogenic processes are geological processes that occur beneath the surface
of the Earth. It is associated with energy originating in the interior of the solid Earth.
2. Exogenic Processes - or external forces are the pressure that occurs on or above the Earth’s surface.
The ground is moving all the time, the forces within the Earth that cause the ground to move are
called ENDOGENIC FORCES.
Endogenic Processes
1. Folding and Faulting 4. methamorphism
2. Heat in the Earth’s interior 5. Volcanism and plutonism
3. magmatism
1. Folding and Faulting – When two forces push towards each other from opposite sides,
the rock layers will bend into folds. The process by which folds are formed are due to
compressional forces known as folding. There are large scales and small scale folds, large
scale folds are found mainly along destructive plate boundaries.
Faulting – Faulting is the fracturing
and displacement of more brittle
rock strata along a fault plane either caused by tension or compression. A break in rock along
which a vertical rock movement has occured is called a fault.
ELSCI W3 Global Success through Academic Excellence
2
The process of forming a fault is faulting. The line of fault which appears on land surface is
known as fault line, these lines are often lines are often lines of weakness which allow molten
rock to rise up onto the earth surface when there is active volcanic activity nearby.
Types of Fault: Normal fault, Reverse fault, Strike fault
A. Interior Heat
Categories of Heat
1. Primordial Heat
2. Radioactive Heat
Primordial Heat – Heat generated during Earth’s formation.
Sources;
a.accretion energy - heat released from collision of planetary objects during the early formation
of the planet.
b.adiabatic compression – heat generated as materials are compressed (heat from the earth’s
core).
B. Magmatism – happens when magma generated and develops into igneous rocks.
Magma form from the following;
a.Mid-oceanic ridges- The rising magma in mantle convection sell bringsheat to the surface,
transferring heat
ELSCI W3 Global Success through Academic Excellence
3
to the overlying rocks.
- The transfer of heat due to the convection is accompanied by a decrease in
pressure
or Decompression associated with the spreading of the tectonic plates.
b.Mantle plumes- The transfer of heat and the compression result to magma generation. The
source of heat for mantle plumes is much deeper.
c.Subduction zones- Oceanic crustal rocks are formed along spreading centers, typically
beneath several kilometers of sea water.
D. Metamorphism – Process of changing materials that make up the rock. The chemical components and geologic
characteristics of the rock change because of exposure to heat and pressure.
ELSCI W3 Global Success through Academic Excellence
4
Influencing Rock behavior
1. Compression – rocks push or squeeze against one another where the stress
produced is directed towards the center.
2. Tension – Rocks pulled apart rocks may separate in opposite direction
3. Shearing – Some of the portion of a plate at the edge may break away in
different directions.
4. Confining – The crust become compact, thus making it look smaller.
E. Plutonism – The formation of intrusive igneous rock by solidification of magma
beneath the earth’s surface.
F. Volcanism – The phenomenon of eruption of molten rock (magma) onto the surface of the
Earth or a solid surface planet.
ELSCI W3 Global Success through Academic Excellence
5
2.Exogenic processes - processes that take place at or near the earth’s surface that makes
the surface wear away. Exogenic processes are very destructive; they are responsible for
degradation and sculpting the earth’s surface.
Types of Exogenic Processes
a.Weathering
b.Erosion
c.Mass wasting and sedimentation
A.Weathering - is the breaking down of rocks into small pieces.
Types of Weathering
1.physical
2. Chemical
Factors that affect Physical weathering
a.Ice wedging – H2O seeps in rock, expands, crack rocks into smaller pieces.
b.Release of pressure – surface rock erodes, rock flakes like onion layers.
c.Growth of plants – roots grow into cracks and push rock apart.
d.animals – Burrow and push apart rock.
e. Abrasion – Sand and rock carried by wind, water, ice wears away surface rock when rocks
collide. Most common in windy areas.
Factors that affect chemical weathering
a.water – water dissolves rock chemically.
b.oxygen – rocks that has iron in it mixes with oxygen and rusts.
c.acid rain – air pollution reacts with clouds and falls on rock as acid rain.
d.living organism – Acids from plants and roots chemically weather rock.
e.carbon dioxide – CO2 dissolves in rainwater and weathers marble and limestone.
ELSCI W3 Global Success through Academic Excellence
6
B.Erosion – This indicates the action of processing of a surface that removes rock, soil or
materials which are dissolved from one location to another location.
Agents of Erosion
a.water – erosion by water changes the shape of coastlines. Waves constantly crash against
shore.
b.wind – Erosion by wind carries dust, sand, and volcanic ash from one place to another. Wind
can sometimes blow sand into towering dunes.
c.ice – Erosion by ice can erode the land. In frigid areas and on some mountaintops, glaciers
move slowly downhill and across the land. As they move, they pick up everything in their path,
from tiny grains of sand to huge boulders.
d.gravity – Gravity pulls any loose bits down the side of a hill or mountain. Gravity erosion is
better known as mass movement.
C. Sedimentation – Is a natural process in which a material is carried to the bottom of bodies of
water and forms to solid.
ELSCI W3 Global Success through Academic Excellence
7
