Geomorphic Processes:
II. Exogenous
II. Gradation Processes –
Weathering, Mass Wasting,
Erosion, Transportation
and Deposition
Exogenous processes
• occur on or near the surface of the earth
• usually influence or driven by gravity, water,
wind and organism
WEATHERING
Weathering is disintegration and decomposition of rocks in situ –
no transportation involved produces regolith
More precisely, it involves the mechanical or physical
disintegration and/or chemical decomposition that fragments
rock masses into smaller components that amass on-site, before
being moved by gravity or transported by other agents
The processes begin in microscopic spaces, cracks, joints,
faults, fractures, lava vesicles and other rock cavities
Types of Weathering: 1) Physical or Mechanical Weathering,
2) Chemical Weathering, and 3) Biological Weathering
Exogenous processes
• 1. Weathering-disintegration
ofrocks, soil, and minerals
together with other materials
through contact with Earth’s
subsystem.
Physical or Mechanical Weathering
Disintegration and decay of rocks via weather elements: high
temperatures, extreme cold and freeze-thaw cycles
No change in chemical composition of rocks
• Exfoliation – due to thermal expansion/contraction and/or release of
pressure when buried rocks are uplifted and exposed
e.g., Exfoliation Dome (Stone Mountain, GA) and Exfoliation Sheets (Sierra Nevada)
• Frost Wedging
• Salt Wedging
• a. Physical Weathering-is the breakdown of
rocks by mechanical forces concentrated along
rock fracture.
• water, wind, or ice may abrade or scrape rocks or
soil.
• Example: drought
Chemical Weathering
decomposes rocks through a chemical change in its minerals
Oxidation – important in iron-rich
rocks – reddish coloration like rust
Hydrolysis – igneous rocks have
much silica which readily combines
with water
Carbonation and Solution –
carbon dioxide dissolved in water
reacts with carbonate rocks to
create a soluble product (calcium
bicarbonate)
• b. Chemical weathering- is the process by
which rocks break down by chemical
reactions.
• new secondary minerals develop and
sometimes replace the original properties
of the minerals in the original rock or soil
Biological Weathering
– plants and animals contribute to weathering.
Roots physically break or wedge rock
Lichens (algae and fungi living as single unit),
remove minerals and weaken rock by releasing acids
Burrowing animals can increase weathering.
Lichens
• 2. Erosion-process by which Earth’s
surface is worn away by wind, water, or ice.
• 3. Mass wasting- movement of large
masses of materials such as rocks, debris,
soil and mud.
• a. Debris flow-happens when a large
amount of sediments, usually rocks of
various sizes, falls down the slope.
• b. Mudflow-happens when combined soil
and water flow down a slope, happens near
rivers or streams where soil or sand
• is always moist or has been soaked in water for a
long time
• weight of the mudflow indicates the severity of
risk when it flows
• 3. Slump- a slow movement of soil along a
curved surface
• area would look curved because of the
depression formed by the sinking land
• 4. Sedimentation- is the accumulation of
minerals such as soil, rock fragments, and soil
particles setting the ground.
Geomorphic Processes:
Physical processes which create and modify landforms
on the surface of the earth
Endogenous (Endogenic) vs.Exogenous (Exogenic)
Processes
Rock Cycle
B. Exogenous Processes
Also called Gradational Processes, they comprise
degradation and aggradation – they modify relief
a continuum of processes – Weathering Mass
Wasting Erosion Transportation Deposition
these processes are carried through by Geomorphic
Agents: gravity, flowing water (rivers), moving ice
(glaciers), waves and tides (oceans and lakes), wind,
plants, organisms, animals and humans
1. Degradation Processes Also called Denudation
Processes
a. Weathering , b. Mass Wasting and c. Erosion
and Transportation
2. Aggradation Processes
a. Deposition – fluvial, eolian, glacial, coastal
Relationship:
Weathering
Mass Wasting
Erosion
and
Transportation
Together,
these processes are
responsible for
Denudation
of Earth’s surface
Landslide
Debris Flow
DEPOSITION
– Various geomorphic agents, associated processes and
resulting Depositional Features
• Fluvial – Humid regions: Braided streams, sand bars, floodplains
(alluvium deposits), natural
levees, distributaries, deltas
Arid regions: Alluvial fans, bajadas,
piedmont alluvial plains, playas,
playa lakes, Salinas (salt flats)
• Eolian – Sand dunes (Barchans, Parabolic, Transverse,
Longitudinal, Star), and sand sheets
• Coastal – Sea beaches and coral reefs
• Glacial – Alpine: Glacial drifts, tills, moraines (lateral, medial, end,
terminal, recessional, and ground)
Continental: Till plains, outwash plains, drumlins, eskers,
kames, erratic
