nd

2 Quarter of Earth Science

III. Earth’s Processes
•Exogenic Processes
•Endogenic Processes
•Deformation of the Crust
•Plate Tectonics

IV. History of the Earth

• Major Events in Earth’s Past
 EXOGENIC
PROCESSES
What is an Exogenic
Process?
Exogenic processes
include geological
phenomena and
processes that originate
externally to the Earth’s
surface.

Effects are evident on the surface of the earth

WEATHERING
What is WEATHERING?
Physical or
Chemical
disintegration of a
particular material
through natural or
anthropogenic
processes.
TYPES OF
WEATHERING
Physical or
Mechanical
Chemical
PHYSICAL
WEATHERING
• Physical or
Mechanical
weathering is a
weathering process in
which materials are
broken into smaller
pieces due to any force
(natural or
anthropogenic) without
any alteration of its
composition
PHYSICAL WEATHERING
PROCESSES
• Frost Wedging
• Salt Crystal
Growth
• Abrasion
• Biological
Activity
WEATHERING
PROCESSES
• Frost Wedging
when water gets
inside the joints,
alternate freezing and
thawing episodes pry
the rock apart.
WEATHERING
PROCESSES
• Salt Crystal
Growth
force exerted by
salt crystal that
formed as water
evaporates from
pore spaces or
cracks in rocks can
cause the rock to
WEATHERING
PROCESSES
• Abrasion
wearing away of
rocks by constant
collision of loose
particles.
WEATHERING
PROCESSES
• Biological
Activity
plants and animals
(including humans)
as agents of
mechanical
weathering.
CHEMICAL
WEATHERING
• Chemical
Weathering is
caused by rain water
reacting with the
mineral grains in
rocks to form new
minerals (clays) and
soluble salts.
CHEMICAL WEATHERING
PROCESSES
• Dissolution
• Oxidation
• Hydrolysis
WEATHERING
PROCESSES
• Dissolution
• Dissolution is the process
whereby a mineral dissolves
in a solvent as a result of the
freeing up of its ions.
• Therefore dissolution occurs when an
action of slightly acidic solutions on the
rock leaves pits and holes, which can
slowly enlarge and widen preexisting
fractures. Common example includes
dissolution of calcite and salt.
WEATHERING
PROCESSES
• Oxidation
reaction between
minerals and
oxygen dissolved
in water
• water and rock particles react with
oxygen. This causes the minerals
and materials to rust and turn red.
WEATHERING
PROCESSES
• Hydrolysis
change in the
composition of
minerals when
they react with
water.
The Factors that affect the:
• type,
• extent, and
• rate at which weathering takes place
✔ CLIMATE
✔ ROCK TYPE
✔ ROCK STRUCTURE
✔ TOPOGRAPHY
✔ TIME
 CLIMATE
• areas that are cold and dry tend to have slow
rates of chemical weathering and weathering
is mostly physical;

• chemical weathering is most active in areas

with high temperature and rainfall.
 ROCK TYPE
• the minerals that constitute rocks have
different susceptibilities to weathering.

• The susceptibility of minerals (from high to

low) roughly follows the inverse of the order
of crystallization of minerals in the Bowen’s
reaction series.
 ROCK STRUCTURE
• rate of weathering is affected by the
presence of joints, folds, faults, bedding
planes through which agents of weathering
enter a rock mass.

• Highly jointed/ fractured rocks disintegrate

faster than a solid mass of rock of the same
dimension.
 TOPOGRAPHY
• physical weathering occurs more quickly on
a steep slope than on a gentle one.

• On a gentle slope, water may stay longer in

contact with the rocks, hence chemical
weathering is enhanced.
 TIME
• length of exposure to agents of weather
determines the degree of weathering of a
rock.