Earth Processes
tectonic activity
Geomorphic Processes:
 Physical processes which create and
modify landforms on the surface of the
earth
 The process responsible for the
formation and alteration of the earth’s
surface.
 Endogenous (Endogenic)
vs.Exogenous (Exogenic)
Processes
A. Endogenous Processes
-Formed, located or occurring beneath
the surface of the earth.
Endogenous Processes are large-scale
landform building and transforming
processes – they create relief.
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.
The ground we live on is moving all the
time. The Forces within the earth that cause
the ground to move are called
ENDOGENIC FORCES.
1. Igneous Processes
A. Volcanism: Volcanic eruptions 
Volcanoes
B. Plutonism: Igneous intrusions
2. Tectonic Processes (Also called
Diastrophism)
 Folding: anticlines, synclines,
mountains
 Faulting: rift valleys, graben,
escarpments
 Lateral Faulting: strike-slip faults
Earthquakes  evidence of present-day
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
Degradation Processes:
Weathering, Mass Wasting, Erosion and
Transportation
Relationship:
Weathering, Mass Wasting, Erosion and
Transportation. Together, these processes are
responsible for Denudation of Earth’s surface.
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
 3) Biological Weathering
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
• Frost Wedging - occurs when
the water inside of rocks freezes
and expands. That expansion
cracks the rocks from the inside
and eventually breaks them
apart.
• Salt Wedging - when it rains
and water flows everywhere, it
usually has ions and salts
dissolved inside. The water
flows in a rock and evaporates.
Crystals slowly begin to grow.
Those crystals act like a wedge
and crack the rocks.
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)
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.
Erosion
• is the physical removal and
transportation of weathered material by
water, wind, ice, or gravity.
Types of erosion
• Water (Fluvial) erodes rocks and the
landscapes by transporting weathered
materials from their source to another
location where they are deposited.
• Wind (Aeolian) erodes materials by
picking them up and temporarily
transporting them from their source to
another location where they are
deposited.
• Ice erosion occurs when particles are
plucked up or incorporated by moving
ice, such as a glaciers, and are
transported downhill
• Gravity (Mass wasting) facilitates the
down slope transportation of loosened,
weathered materials and enables them to
move without the aid of water, wind, or
ice. Gravity related erosion is a major
component of mass-wasting events
• Waves relentless pounding can throw
broken rocks against the shore and wash
away fine grains
Mass Wasting
• is the transfer or movement of rock or
soil down slope primarily by gravity.
• is a rapid form of erosion that works
primarily under the influence of gravity
in combination with other erosional
agents. Can result in small or largescale
changes to the landscape depending on
the type of event.
Example: Rock Falls, Landslides, Debris /
Mud Flows, Slumps, and Creep.
• Type of material, the kind of motion,
and the velocity of movement dictate
kind of mass movement.
• Falls involve the free-fall of debris or
rock
• Slides occur when the material remains
coherent and moves along a well-
defined surface
• Flow occurs when material moves down
slope as a viscous fluid (liquidy)
 Landslides
• Landslides are mass-wasting events
where large amounts of weathered rock
material slide down a hill slope or
mountain side primarily by gravity
related erosion.
• Glacial – Alpine: Glacial drifts, tills,
moraines (lateral, medial, end,
terminal, recessional, and ground)
Continental: Till plains, outwash plains,
drumlins, eskers, kames, erratic

• Landslides occur very quickly and move

with incredible speed and destruction,
often removing or covering everything
in their path.

• Nearly all landslides are triggered by an

earthquake, or lubricant agent such as
rainfall, or a snow or ice melt-water
event.

Deposition

• Constructive processes that place

weathered and eroded materials in a
location that is different from their
source.

• This is where erosion stops

• Colluvium: all weathered and eroded

rocks, soil, and sediments deposited at
the base of a hill slope or cliff.

• Alluvium: materials deposited by

running water.

• Aeolian deposits: materials deposited

by moving wind.

• Glacial Deposits:

• Coastal deposits

DEPOSITION

Various geomorphic agents, associated

processes and resulting Depositional
Features

• Fluvial – Humid regions: Braided

streams, sand bars, floodplains
(alluvium deposits), naturallevees,
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